BENGALURU: A timely phone call from an alert citizen to the child helpline (1098) Saturday morning averted what officials suspect to be a case of child sacrifice in Sulibele, near Hoskote, around 50km from Bengaluru. Acting on the tip-off, officials rescued an eight-month-old boy from a house in Janata Colony and later lodged a complaint with Sulibele police, who detained the couple claiming to be the child’s parents for questioning.
Police said the incident came to light after the district child protection machinery swung into action following the anonymous call received around 10.40am. The caller warned that an infant was about to be sacrificed by its parents as part of a ritual to unearth hidden treasure, allegedly planned for a full-moon day. Though the address provided was vague, the caller shared his mobile number before disconnecting.
Vendor-Couple Adopted Him Illegally: Cops
District child protection officer Anita Lakshmi said the child helpline staff immediately alerted her office. However, tracing the location proved challenging. “The address was not very clear, and even when we called the informer again, he appeared confused. Still, we managed to identify the house mentioned in the call,” Lakshmi told TOI.What the officials found inside raised immediate alarm. In the house, they noticed a freshly dug pit measuring roughly 2.5 feet by 2 feet. When questioned about the purpose of the pit, the vendor couple living there failed to give a clear or consistent explanation. Lakshmi said, “Our priority was the child. When we asked where the infant was, they claimed the baby had been left at a relative’s house. That sounded odd. Why would parents leave an eight-month-old elsewhere, especially when both of them were at home?”Repeated questioning did not yield convincing answers. Eventually, after sustained pressure from the officials, the couple contacted someone from the neighbourhood, who then brought the infant to the house. By this time, Sulibele police had also reached the spot and assisted the child protection team in securing the baby.The baby boy was immediately shifted to a rehabilitation centre. Officials said the child was in good health and responding well to caregivers. “The infant is fine and adjusting well with our staff. The immediate danger has passed, but the case has to be taken to its logical conclusion,” she said.During preliminary investigation, police discovered that the couple were not the biological parents of the child. A senior police officer said the infant had been illegally adopted from a daily-wagers in Kolar. The biological parents are currently untraceable and are suspected to have moved out of the area. “We are making efforts to trace them,” the officer said.The couple, who work as vendors in the Sulibele marketplace, have denied planning any human sacrifice. However, police said their statements regarding the pit were contradictory.Based on the complaint filed by the district child protection committee, along with photographs of the pit, police said they would register the case under the Karnataka Prevention and Eradication of Inhuman Evil Practices and Black Magic Act, 2017, along with relevant provisions of child protection laws. The investigation is ongoing.
