Overview
- An anonymous call to Childline 1098 on a full-moon day reported an imminent child sacrifice, prompting child-protection officials to trace a Sulibele address and conduct a raid.
- Inside Syed Imran’s Janata Colony house, teams noted a freshly dug pit about 2.5 by 2 feet and a room arranged with ritual items, raising suspicion of a planned sacrifice.
- The eight-month-old boy was secured and transferred to a childcare centre under district custody, with officials saying he is stable and undergoing medical checks.
- Preliminary inquiries indicate the detained couple are not the biological parents and the infant was obtained outside legal channels, with reports of a fake birth certificate and a private agreement with the father.
- Sulibele police are preparing cases under Karnataka’s 2017 anti–black-magic law and child-protection provisions as they question the couple, who deny a human-sacrifice plan but gave conflicting statements.