The Pathanamthitta district police on Thursday arrested a woman and her associate from Malayalappuzha on charges of practising sorcery.
The arrested were identified as Shobhana, 42, and her partner Unnikrishnan, 39, residents of Vasanthi Amma Madom at Potheepadu in Malayalappuzha panchayat. The duo landed in police custody after a video of the woman performing sorcery on a boy emerged in the public domain.
The video, which showed the boy falling unconscious during the ritual, triggered wide spread protests with activists of the CPI(M), the Congress and the BJP taking out protest march to the site on Thursday morning. The protesters also vandalised the residence and the place where she performed the rituals.
Preliminary investigations suggested that the woman had been practising sorcery and black magic for the past eight years and she used to confront the locals, who raised their voice against her. The duo will be produced before a magistrate, the police said.
Pathanamthitta District Police Chief Swapnil Madhukar Mahajan has ordered a detailed probe into the episode.
Health Minister Veena George said the State government had taken a very serious note on the Malayalappuzha incident. “We will take strict action against the people who use children for such activities. There is an urgent need to build public awareness against such practices and society should fight it collectively,” she said.
