1 week Ago By Express News Service
SURYAPET: A woman who murdered her infant daughter as part of a black magic ritual has been sentenced to death by a Suryapet court. The horrific incident took place in April 2021 at Mekalapatti Tanda, under the jurisdiction of Mothey police station in the Kodad police division. The accused, Banoth Bharathi alias Lasya (32), brutally killed her seven-month-old daughter by slitting her throat with a knife.
She believed the act would rid her of a mythical serpent curse, known as sarpa dosham, through a black magic ritual. Following the incident, Mothey SI Praveen Kumar responded swiftly to the complaint. He registered an FIR, conducted a preliminary investigation, and later handed over the case to then Munagala CI Anjaneyulu.
The investigation was completed promptly, and a chargesheet was filed in court. Taking into account witness testimonies and physical evidence, the court deemed the act one of the “rarest of rare” crimes. Judge Dr Shyama Sri, presiding over the First Additional Sessions Court, sentenced Bharathi to capital punishment, acknowledging the gravity of the crime — a mother killing her own child due to superstitious beliefs.
District SP Kothapalli Narasimha personally monitored the progress of the case from the beginning due to its severity. He provided regular instructions to Kodad DSP Sridhar Reddy, Munagala CI Ramakrishna Reddy, and Mothey SI Yadavendra. Under the leadership of public prosecutor N Savindra Kumar, the prosecution successfully proved the case in court.
Court liaison officer G Srikanth and Mothey CDO PC Nagaraju also played important roles in ensuring justice. In a disturbing development, even after this incident, Bharathi attempted to murder her husband in a separate case. The Huzurnagar Sub-Court later sentenced her to one year of imprisonment for the offence.
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