The Bidadi police on Sunday arrested a 35-year-old man and recovered 30 human skulls and bones which he had stored in a makeshift temple to allegedly perform rituals and black magic.
Based on an alert from villagers, a police team rushed to Jogaradoddi village in Bidadi police station limits and arrested Balarama and seized the skulls and bones along with other material for further investigation.
The skulls and bones have been sent to FSL for analysis, a senior police officer said.
According to the police, Balarama used to live alone in the makeshift temple on his farmland adjacent the Bidadi industrial area, and would never allow anyone inside his land. He had constructed a shed at the corner of his land and converted it into a Kali temple.
The police found the skulls and bones kept around the Kali portrait with a trident and vermillion, indicating that he performed rituals frequently.
An initial probe revealed that the accused would never allow anyone in the makeshift temple either and would visit a graveyard at night to allegedly perform rituals. Worried villagers had warned him not to visit the graveyard, but Balarama continued his visits.
On Sunday, a full moon day, Balarama visited the graveyard, which led the villagers to suspect his behaviour and they ventured into the makeshift temple, where they noticed the skulls and bones.
Based on the information, the police arrested Balarama and subjected him to questioning to ascertain the source of the skulls.
A high school drop-out, Balarama used to live on his ancestral property and had a property dispute with his relatives. He used to own a hotel and also worked as the caretaker of a graveyard from where he is suspected to have collected the skulls and bones, the villagers alleged.
Balarama used to live in the makeshift temple as the police recovered a few utensils and clothes from there. The police also seized the utensils and clothes for analysis.
Villagers further alleged that the accused was practising black magic to gain “special powers” against his rivals. The police are awaiting the FSl report to further investigation.
