Odisha: Minor boy’s mutilated body found hanging inside forest; human sacrifice suspected

Bhubaneswar: The mutilated body of a 14-year-old boy, who went missing on July 23, was found hanging from a tree at Barini forest in Athmallik area of Odisha’s Angul district today.

The villagers alleged the minor boy could have been killed for human sacrifice. They also set a police vehicle on fire during a road blockade in the locality.

According to sources, the boy was suffering for certain health complications for the last few days. The boy’s mother had brought him to Goddess Mangala temple at Tusar village in Angul on July 22 to perform certain rituals for his wellbeing.

The mother-son duo slept on the temple premises after performing the rituals in the evening. However, the boy was found missing in the next morning, sources said.

The boy’s mother had lodged a missing complaint with Kiakata police after she failed to trace him anywhere in the village.

“The boy’s mutilated body was found hanging from a tree at Barini forest today morning. Both the hands and limbs of the boy had been chopped off. We suspect it to be case of human sacrifice,” said a local.

Angered over the incident, the villagers blocked Athmallik-Kiakata road and sought exemplary punishment to the people involved in the crime. They also sought adequate compensation for the victim’s family.