PATNA: Several human skulls were stolen from a graveyard in the Sanhaula police station area of Bhagalpur district in Bihar.
The latest incident occurred on Sunday when the skull of a woman was stolen from her grave.
The elderly woman, identified as Mohammed Badrujama‘s mother, was buried about five and a half months ago.
According to locals, this is not an isolated incident, as five such cases were reported in the past five years. The skulls are being stolen from graves that are about six months old.
The thefts are believed to be carried out by a group of people who are targeting specific graves.
The graveyard, located in Asraf Nagar village in Fazilpur Sakrama gram panchayat, is an old burial ground that serves several villages in the area.
The locals are shocked and frightened by these incidents, and many are speculating that the skulls are being stolen for use in black magic or other nefarious purposes.
“We are very scared and worried about these incidents. We don’t know who is behind these thefts or what their motives are. We demand that the authorities take immediate action to catch the perpetrators and put an end to these gruesome thefts,” said Mohammed Ejaz, a local resident.
Shivanand Singh, Kahalgaon SDPO, said that the police have launched an investigation into the matter, but so far, no clues were found. “We are taking these incidents very seriously and are doing everything possible to solve the mystery. We urge the locals to come forward and provide any information they may have about these incidents,” the SDPO added.
Sanhaula SHO Chandan Kumar said that the graveyard was surrounded by a boundary wall earlier. The wall collapsed as it was built around 1980.
The local people barricaded the graveyard with iron fencing, but it was also damaged by some shepherds. “I am posted here since one year, but no such incidents came to light during this period. When we came to search for the beheaded skeleton, only a cloth that is used to wrap the dead body was found at the spot. Further investigation is ongoing in the matter,” the SHO added.