Couple suspects kin of practising black magic, kills their son

A married couple allegedly killed a six-year-old boy on suspicion that "black magic" performed by his family led to the death of their buffalo in a village in Beed district of Maharashtra, police said on Friday. The gruesome incident took place on Wednesday in Ratnagiri village and the accused, Rohidas Sapkal and his wife Devyeebai, were arrested on Thursday, they said.

The accused are related to the boy, who went missing on Wednesday morning while playing with his friends near a school on the village outskirts, the police said. Later, he was found lying near the school and was rushed to a nearby hospital by local residents, but was declared dead by doctors, the police said.

The police started a probe after the boy's family alleged foul play in his death. Assistant Police Inspector (API) Laxman Kendre said the couple owned a buffalo which died recently.

The husband-wife duo suspected the boy's family of practising black magic and blamed them for the death of their buffalo, he said. The accused and the boy's parents are relatives, he said. To take revenge from the family, the couple picked up the boy and took him home, where they strangled him to death and threw the body near the school, Kendre said.