Police have arrested the 35-year-old mother of a teenage girl who was strangled during a sacrificial ritual in Kusumbha village, along with an occult practitioner and a man, an officer said.
Hazaribagh Superintendent of Police Anjani Anjan and Hazaribag DIG Anjani Jha announced the arrest at a press conference on Wednesday night (April 1, 2026).
Police said they arrested Reshmi Devi, the girl’s mother, 55-year-old Shanti Devi, an occultist, and 40-year-old Bhim Ram, all from the same village.
The National Commission for Women formed a three-member commission of inquiry to investigate the alleged murder.
The committee, which was formed on Wednesday (April 1, 2026), will visit the site on Thursday (April 2, 2026) and hold discussions with the authorities concerned.
Anjani Anjan said that Reshmi Devi often visited a “tantrik” (occult practitioner) in her village for the treatment of her youngest son who was suffering from some mental and physical illness.
“The occult practitioner told the mother that they needed to sacrifice a virgin girl to cure the son of all his ailments,” he said.
The officer said that on March 24, the night of Ashtami, when the entire village was immersed in festive celebrations and saw the Mangla Julus (Ram Navami procession), the girl was strangled in the house of Shanti Devi, allegedly by her own mother and Bhim Ram.
After killing the girl, they buried her body in the garden.
The inquiry committee has been asked to submit its report to the National Commission for Women (NCW) within 10 working days.
Ms. Anjan said the three tried to mislead investigators by claiming rape, which was not proven in the autopsy and court report.
Bhim Ram also faces charges of murdering his sister-in-law and another person, Ms. Anjan added.
The Jharkhand High Court on Monday (March 30, 2026) took suo motu cognizance of the alleged rape and murder of a girl at Bishnugarh in Hazaribagh and served a notice to the state administration and the Director General of Police.
Justice Sujit Narayan Prasad and Justice Sanjay Prasad took cognizance of the incident based on media reports.
The girl’s mother had earlier claimed that her daughter was abducted and her body was found on March 25 in a field in the village.
The opposition BJP staged a 12-hour bandh in Hazaribagh on Monday (March 30, 2026) to protest the killings.
Published – 02 Apr 2026 10:34 IST
