NEW DELHI: An Indian father about to bury his daughter alive in a human sacrifice, which he believed would lead him to a hidden treasure, was arrested moments before carrying out the killing, police said on Wednesday.

The 18-year-old was rescued moments before the man and eight accomplices, including a Hindu tantric priest, were to carry out the murder at her home in Maharashtra state. Police said they found the group staging a ritual and preparing for the killing after a tip-off from the girl’s friend.

“They would have killed her any moment, but we caught them red-handed,” Yavatmal district police chief Dilip Bhujbal Patil said.

Published in Dawn, April 28th, 2022