The body of a three-year-old boy was exhumed from Chambal ravines within the limits of Pinhat police station in Uttar Pradesh’s Agra after villagers approached the cops suspecting that he was “sacrificed” for performing black magic rituals.

Local residents stated that on the night of ‘Guru Purnima’, four men and a woman buried the deceased toddler after offering prayers. The presence of a spade, a knife and prayer items near the spot raised suspicion of human sacrifice for performing some black magic ritual, police said.

According to a report by The Times of India, Pinhat SHO Pradeep Kumar Chaturvedi stated that the child’s body was exhumed and sent for autopsy to find out the cause of his death. Efforts are being made to ascertain the identity of the deceased, and further action would be initiated on the basis of his post-mortem report, the SHO added.