Amravati: Five self-styled ‘aghori’ tantriks were arrested for allegedly performing rituals on a buried corpse in the dead of night at an Amravati crematorium, in a bizarre case of dark magic driven by greed for hidden treasure.The occult practices were conducted at the Hindu burning ghat at Bramhanwada Thadi village in Chandur Bazar tehsil, with the tantriks claiming they could bring the deceased, Mahendra Raju Gawali, 27, back to life, said police.Gawali hails from a Hindu community which buries loved ones rather than cremate. The last rites were performed on the afternoon of September 15 and the ‘aghori’ ritual came to light the next morning when his brother found voodoo symbols at the spot and alerted police. A car parked on the crematorium’s compound wall was seized. Police said the tantriks believed the dead could be revived and it would reveal the location of a hidden treasure.The five arrested include Nitin Sontakke, 34, of Amravati, Subodh Bhoyar, 30, of Udkhed, Ashutosh Mahadev Tayde, 30, of Akola, Sahebrao Pandurang Gaekwad, 56, of Thane and Chandu Ganeshlal Gupta, 43, of Bramhanwada Thadi.A case has been registered against them under Prevention and Eradication of Human Sacrifice and other Inhuman, Evil and Aghori Practices and Black Magic Act, 2013 and the accused were produced in court.
