Eight-Year-Old Girl Murdered in Alleged Ritual Sacrifice in Bihar, India

Four people have been arrested after the horrific murder and mutilation of an eight-year-old girl

An eight-year-old girl was brutally murdered and had her eyes gouged out in what investigators believe was a ritualistic "sacrifice" intended to protect a pregnant woman from miscarriage. The shocking incident occurred on Monday, August 9, in the Munger district of Bihar, India, and led to the swift arrest of four suspects.

According to authorities, one of the suspects, Dilip Kumar, turned to Pervez Alam, a self-proclaimed sorcerer, after he and his wife conceived following years of failed attempts at pregnancy. Alam allegedly advised the couple that to prevent miscarriage, the expectant mother should wear an amulet consecrated with the blood and eyes of a virgin girl.

Police say Kumar, along with Alam and two other men identified as Tanveer Alam and Dasarath, abducted the child while she was returning home alone after delivering lunch to her fisherman father. The men allegedly took her to a chicken farm in Padham village, where the girl was murdered as part of a ritual. Her eyes were reportedly removed and used to craft a necklace given to the pregnant woman.

Police quickly arrested four suspects

Investigators registered the case as murder and suspected rape after identifying specific injuries on the girl’s body. Superintendent of Police J. J. Reddy confirmed: “Dilip's wife had conceived after many unsuccessful years of pregnancy. Hence, he acted on the suggestion of the Tantrik from neighbouring Khagaria district, which led to the gruesome killing of the minor girl. The police cracked the case based on evidence. Instructions have been issued to submit the charge sheet in the case at the earliest.”

Authorities say the evidence gathered points to a rapid trial for the suspects.

The horrific case in India follows a separate incident in the United States, where a Missouri mother, 36-year-old Ashley Parmeley, allegedly killed her two children in what she described as an attempted "sacrifice." She was initially charged with second-degree murder after confessing to police on May 28 last year. Parmeley allegedly first attempted to kill her two-year-old son Isaac and her nine-year-old daughter before drowning Isaac at a resort when she discovered he was still alive.

Both cases highlight disturbing instances of ritualistic and sacrificial killings rooted in superstition and belief in occult practices.