Human sacrifice attempt in Bengaluru? Woman attacks daughter with machete inside temple

In what is suspected to be a case of human sacrifice, a 55-year-old woman, identified as Sarojamma, attacked her 25-year-old daughter, Rekha, with a machete inside a temple in northeastern Bengaluru on Wednesday.

According to news agency PTI, the incident happened after morning prayers at the Harihareshwara Temple in Agrahara Layout, off Thanisandra Main Road.

The victim suffered deep neck injuries in the incident.

The police said the two women reached the temple around 4.30 am on Wednesday, offered prayers for some time, and then sat down. It was then that the mother attacked her daughter with the machete.

Her screams alerted passersby, who pulled the mother away before calling the police.

"There has been an incident where a woman attacked her daughter with a machete and injured her grievously. The incident has been captured on CCTV cameras. We are reviewing the footage," PTI quoted a police officer as saying.

"The incident has been captured on CCTV cameras...Both women had come to the temple together, and their behaviour appears strange," Deccan Herald quoted an investigating officer as saying.

The victim lives with her husband, a weaver from Anekal, while her mother lives in Sampigehalli. Rekha used to frequently argue with her husband and would return to her mother's home. 

The two had recently been performing special poojas seeking relief from Rekha's marital problems. The accused had allegedly consulted an astrologer who reportedly advised a human sacrifice during a specific hour.

The cops are now on the lookout for the astrologer for questioning. The victim's statement will be recorded after her recovery to reconstruct the sequence of events, as Sarojamma reportedly is unwilling to cooperate. 

India