‘Tantrik’ Held For Piercing Over 2 Dozen Needles In Girl’s Head In Odisha’s Balangir

Balangir: A ‘Tantrik’ was arrested for allegedly piercing close to two dozen needles in the skull of a girl in Odisha’s Balangir district in a bid to cure her.

Sources said the 19-year-old girl is now undergoing treatment in the hospital after falling victim to superstition.

The girl, identified as Reshma Behera, hails from Inch village under the jurisdiction of Sindhekela Police station in the district.

The incident came to light after she became critical and her family members managed to remove eight needles from her head. The girl was rushed to Bhima Bhoi Medical College and Hospital for treatment.

A CT scan later showed that there were over 10 more needles stuck to her skull.

The girl’s plight began around four years ago when she fell ill and her family took the help of the tantrik Santosh Rana of Jamutjhula village. The family took Reshma to the tantrik as her health condition reportedly did not improve after medical treatment. It was alleged that during this period the accused pierced syringe needles into the head of Reshma, when she had fallen unconscious and could not realise what happened at that time.

However, her family members recently noticed the needles and gradually removed eight from her head before taking her to hospital.

The girl’s father Bishnu Behera said that the tantrik had taken her inside a room and brought her out after an hour. After coming to know about the presence of needles, the family lodged a complaint with Kantabanji police, which acted swiftly and nabbed the quack.

Balangir CDMO Pradip Kumar Guru said Reshma is in stable condition and being provided necessary treatment.