Bolpur, West Bengal:
Three persons were arrested in connection with a suspected case of human sacrifice at a Kali temple near here, police said today.
"Kalo Majhi, Babulal Murmu and Dulal Murmu who are residents of Donaipur village were arrested yesterday on the charge of beheading Paresh Bagdi in the temple compound. From initial investigation, it seems that the three, who were acquainted with Bagdi, were involved in his killing," Birbhum Superintendent of Police Rabindranath Mukherjee said.
"The exact role of the trio - all in their mid 30s - and their motive behind killing Bagdi in the way of human sacrifice at a temple is being investigated," he said. They were produced in a local court and have been remanded to three days police custody, he said.
The naked, decapitated torso of Bagdi, a factory worker, was found last Wednesday in the temple premises. The vermilion smeared severed head was lying further away. Kalo Majhi and Bagdi worked as labourers in the same factory in Bolpur. The other two are also daily wage labourers, the police said.
SP Mukherjee did not want to comment whether it was a case of human sacrifice. "We cannot say at this stage whether it was a case of human sacrifice and investigations are continuing," he said.