Man Beheads His 5-Year-Old Niece With Axe To Cure His Illness

A man reportedly decapitated his 5-year-old niece after believing that the human sacrifice will cure him of some illness he was suffering from. The shocking incident reportedly happened at Hetkhamar village within Reamal police limits in Deogarh, Odisha, India on Tuesday, March 15.

On Tuesday morning, March 15, the accused, identified as 22-year-old Nagarjun Bhainsa, reportedly barged into the house of the victim's uncle Debendra Bhainsa while the 5-year-old toddler, Rojalin, was eating breakfast. After storming into the house, Bhainsa took out an axe and started attacking the helpless Rojalin with it, the New Indian Express reported.

Even though the victim's uncle Debendra tried to intervene and stop the assault, Bhainsa raised the weapon against him and threatened to kill him as well. The accused then continued attacking the child with the axe and reportedly stopped the assault only after beheading the toddler.

Meanwhile, concerned neighbors and the girl’s father Susant Bhainsa rushed to the spot after hearing the child's screams and Debendra's calls for help. The villagers managed to overpower the accused and grabbed the murder weapon away. He was subsequently handed over to the authorities, OpIndia reported.

Meanwhile, the victim's body was transported to a government health facility for the conduct of an autopsy. Following the gruesome incident, officers Deogarh Superintendent of Police (SP) Rajkishore Paikray and Sub-Divisional police officer (SDPO) Pratyush Mohapatra responded to the scene and conducted an inquiry. The authorities added that a case has been registered in connection with the brutal incident and an investigation into the incident is underway.

When the officers questioned Bhainsa, the accused confessed that he killed his niece as a sacrifice to get cured of some ailment he is suffering from. However, the officers added that the exact reason behind the gruesome killing will be ascertained only after an investigation into the incident is complete.

Meanwhile, the accused's family members claimed that Bhainsa may have been spurred to commit the crime because he was mentally unstable. However, SDPO Mohapatra, who held an initial inquiry, said there is no medical evidence to prove that the accused was mentally unsound.

“He had most likely presumed that he would be cured of the illness if he sacrificed a human. So, he hacked his niece to death. Everything will be clear after investigation” Mohapatra added.