Driven by superstition, man kills grandmother before attempting suicide in Chhattisgarh

Durg, Chhattisgarh: In a suspected case of 'human sacrifice', a man allegedly killed his grandmother and offered her blood on a 'shivling' before he tried to end his life in Chhattisgarh's Durg district, police said on Sunday.

The incident, which appears to be the outcome of superstition, took place on Saturday evening in Nankatti village under Nandini police station limits, Sub Divisional Officer of Police, Dhamdha area, Sanjay Pundhir said.

After being alerted about the incident by locals, a police team reached the spot and sent the body of the woman, identified as Rukmani Goswami (70), for postmortem.

The accused, Gulshan Goswami (30), was admitted to a hospital in a critical condition, the official said.

As per preliminary information, Gulshan lived with his grandmother in a room close to a Lord Shiva temple and used to daily perform rituals at the temple, he said.

On Saturday evening, he allegedly killed his grandmother with a trident in their house and offered her blood on the 'shivling' at the temple, the official said.

The man then returned home and attacked himself with the same trident on his neck, inflicting serious injuries, he said.

Gulshan has been admitted at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in state capital Raipur, he said.

"Prima facie, the incident seems to be outcome of superstition. A case been registered in this connection and further probe is on," Pundhir said.