A 33-year-old woman died allegedly after being kept tied to a pillar for nearly 10 days while a self-styled godman and his associate performed so-called “faith healing” rituals to treat her alleged mental illness in Uttar Pradesh’s Barabanki district.
A 33-year-old woman died allegedly after being kept tied to a pillar for nearly 10 days while a self-styled godman and his associate performed so-called “faith healing” rituals to treat her alleged mental illness in Uttar Pradesh’s Barabanki district, police said on Wednesday.
The incident has led to the arrest of the woman’s husband, Ankit Yadav, self-styled godman Munna (71), and his associate Kadir Ahmad (55), who are accused of subjecting her to the prolonged rituals that allegedly ended in her death.
According to police, Ruby Yadav, a resident of Lucknow’s Gomtinagar, was rushed to the Community Health Centre in Deva on Monday evening after her health took a critical turn. Doctors declared her dead later that night.
A preliminary investigation revealed that Ruby had allegedly been tied to a pillar for around 10 days at a shrine in the Deva area, where “rituals” were reportedly being performed in the name of treating her mental illness.
In his complaint, Ruby’s father, Pramod Yadav, a resident of Sitapur district, alleged that his son-in-law, along with the self-styled godman and his associate, kept his daughter bound to the pillar for several days while carrying out “exorcism” and other rituals.
He alleged that Ruby’s condition steadily worsened during the ordeal before she eventually died.
Station House Officer (Deva) Alok Mani Tripathi said the three accused were arrested based on the complaint. They have been booked and remanded to judicial custody after being produced before a court.
Police said further legal action will be taken after the post-mortem report is received.