Ramanagara: A 40-year-old priest of Tamil Nadu, his aide and four locals from Ramanagara had been arrested under the prevention of carnataka and eradicating evil practices and black magic action, 2017 and other IPC parts after they were caught doing black magic rituals.
To dig hidden treasure in the house on Tuesday night.
Imam, Shashikumar, has forced a woman to sit naked in the room, saying it is necessary to dig the treasure, he claims, will be automatically visible after the puja.
The woman, a daily wage worker, and her four-year-old daughter was saved from the place.
Others were arrested – The Priest’s Aide Mohan, Mason Lokesh, Nagaraj, Lakshminarasappa and Parthasarathi from Bhoohalli in Channapatna Taluk from Ramanagara District – All of them were 30s.
Police said the arrest was made based on complaints submitted by Srinivas, a farmer from Bhoohalli.
Srinivas lived with his family in their ancestors, built more than 75 years ago.
“Srinivas met Shashikumar in 2019 when he went to Tamil Nadu to get married.
Shashikumar visited Srinivas’s house in early 2020 and estimated that there was a hidden treasure.
The priest tells Srinivas his family will face misfortune if he doesn’t find treasure.
Shashikumar promises to do it and Taking a down payment of rs 20,000 from Srinivas.
Because of Covid-19 locking and other problems, Shashikumar continued to postpone the task.
Two months ago, he visited Srinivas again and said they would start the job, “said an inquiry officer.
Shashikumar chose the bedroom at Srinivas’s house for his work and announced that the treasure was hidden underground.
“If I do puja with a naked woman sitting in front of me, the treasure will be seen,” Shashikumar said.
Shashikumar insisted that the woman sat before her must be from Srinivas’s family.
However, they chose daily wage workers offered around RS 5,000, said source.
There was a report that the four-year-old girl had been taken there to be sacrificed.
However, Ramanagara SP S Girish rejected the angle of human sacrifice.
“Local residents warn the police about suspicious activities from the priest and others.
The girl is the woman’s daughter,” he said.