Bilaspur: A man was detained by the police in Chhattisgarh’s Bilaspur while allegedly performing a “tantric ritual” with a photograph of the Chief Justice of Chhattisgarh High Court in an effort to secure bail for a relative.
The incident took place at a cremation ground in Devri village under Sipat police station limits on the intervening night of Friday and Saturday, an official said, as reported by PTI.
Rishikesh Kumar was allegedly performing the ritual with three other persons. He was apprehended after villagers saw four men engaging in suspicious activities late at night, and confronted them on the alleged ritual.
Three of the men ran away thereafter, but Kumar was caught and handed over to the police, SP Rajnesh Singh told the news agency.
When questioned, Kumar allegedly told the cops that his relative, Priyanshu Bole, was in police custody along with a few others in a case of stabbing.
Strict action would be taken against anyone performing such rituals, the SP said, adding that those who had committed crimes must work on reforming themselves.
“Bail can not be obtained by performing any ritual. Criminals should reform themselves,” Singh said.
The police recovered some ritual materials from the cremation ground after Kumar was detained for questioning. These included a fish, lemons, vermilion and photographs of Chhattisgarh HC Chief Justice Ramesh Sinha and two other persons, the SP said.
One of the photographs recovered from the spot was of Priyanshu Bole, while another was that of the victim in the stabbing case.
He and his friends had watched a video of a “tantric”, who claimed that a ritual could be conducted to help secure bail, before they visited the cremation ground, Kumar told the police.
One of the accused in the case his relative was arrested for has obtained bail, while the applications of the others were pending before the court, Kumar said. The SP said further investigation in the matter is underway.