Boy Beheaded In Suspected Case Of Human Sacrifice In India's Prakasam District

Four-Year-Old Beheaded In Suspected Human Sacrifice
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KOLKATA, WEST BENGAL, INDIA - 2007/11/08: Men unload a statue of the Hindu goddess Kali from a truck to place in a neighborhood shrine (pandal) for the Kali Puja religious festival. In Kolkata, Kali Puja coincides with Diwali, the Festival of Light. Kali, a black incarnation of the Hindu deity Shakti, is the patron god of Kolkata.. (Photo by Jerry Redfern/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Jerry Redfern via Getty Images

A four-year-old has reportedly been beheaded in an apparent case of human sacrifice.

The child, named as Manu Sagar, was abducted in Valetivaripalem mandal, in India’s Prakasam district by Tirumala Rao, according to the Times of India.

The attacker is believed to have strangled the child before cutting his head off and drained his blood into a bottle in order to offer it to the goddess Kali, apparently in the belief that he would gain “divine powers”.

Rao was discovered next to the boy’s body, leading locals to attempt to lynch him.

He was tied up before having kerosene poured over him, which was then set alight.

Village elders came to his rescue and he was taken to hospital, suffering 40% burns.

Local police chief Ch SriKanth told the Hindu newspaper: "This is a first-of-its-kind incident in Prakasam district.

"Once he recovers, he will be subjected to questioning after an examination of his mental condition by a psychiatrist."