Uttar Pradesh: 9-year-old boy killed in alleged black magic ritual to ‘bring fame to school’ in Hathras, five held

A nine-year-old boy residing in the hostel of a private school in Hathras, Uttar Pradesh, was allegedly killed as part of a black magic ritual aimed at “bringing fame to the school” and resolving issues faced by the school director’s family, according to police reports.

The tragic incident came to light when Hathras police discovered the boy’s body in the school director’s car in the Sadabad area, approximately 35 kilometres from Agra, on September 23.

Authorities have arrested five individuals in connection with the boy’s death, including the school director, Dinesh Baghel, his father, Jasodhan Singh, and three teachers from the school—Ramprakash Solanki, Veerpal Singh, and Laxman Singh. Ashok Kumar, Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP), Hathras, confirmed the arrests.

During the investigation, police recovered a rope, religious items, and a key from a room on the school premises. ASP Kumar revealed chilling details about the crime. He explained that around midnight on September 22, while the students were asleep, Solanki, one of the teachers, took the boy from his bed with the intention of sacrificing him in a designated room. However, the boy woke up and began crying, prompting Solanki to cover his mouth, take him to the ground floor, and strangle him.

Veerpal and Laxman Singh were present, overseeing the act. According to police, the director’s father, Jasodhan Singh, had informed his son about the ritual beforehand, and Dinesh Baghel was prepared to dispose of the body. However, Baghel was apprehended during the process.

The boy’s father filed a First Information Report (FIR) at the Sahpau police station on September 23, accusing Baghel of his son’s murder. “Baghel contacted us on the morning of September 23, claiming that my son was unwell and he was rushing him to the hospital. We immediately went to the hostel but couldn’t find Baghel or our son. Later, Baghel told us he was taking our son to Agra as his condition had worsened. Suspicious, we informed the police and followed him, eventually finding my son’s lifeless body in his car,” the father recounted.

Initially, police detained Baghel but struggled to determine the motive behind the killing. However, upon questioning people close to Baghel and his family, they learned that his father, Jasodhan Singh, believed in witchcraft and had suggested the sacrifice of a child two months prior, though the plan was not executed at the time. Under interrogation, Jasodhan confessed, leading police to question Baghel further.

Baghel eventually admitted that on his father’s advice, he instructed Solanki to abduct the boy on the night of September 22.

At first, Baghel claimed that the boy was sick and that he had taken him to a hospital in Sadabad and later to Agra, where doctors declared the child dead. However, the post-mortem report confirmed that the boy had been strangled, with his neck bones broken.