Parents of 4 girls kill neighbour’s daughter to have son

An Indian couple desperate for a son after having four daughters allegedy murdered a four-year-old girl, believing her ‘sacrifice’ would bring them a boy.

Satish Singh, 35, and his wife Namita, 30, kidnapped their neighbour’s four-year-old daughter, cut off her arm, leg and ear before slashing her throat.

The couple, from Sahranpur, Uttar Pradesh, are said to have been desperate to have a boy after their only son died when he was only 18 months old.

Abhorrent: Satish Singh, 35, pictured right, and wife Namita, 30, from kidnapped four-year-old daughter Akshita, left, and cut off her arm, leg and ear before slashing her throat

Evil: After mutilating and murdering the little girl, the couple left her remains in a field near her family home where her father eventually found her

Evil: After mutilating and murdering the little girl, the couple left her remains in a field near her family home where her father eventually found her

Disappointed to have been ‘burdened’ with four daughters, the Singhs visited a spiritual doctor and exorcist, Vriksh Pal, 50, who allegedly advised them to ‘sacrifice’ a girl in order to give them a healthy son.

The couple enlisted the help of Mrs Singh’s father, Kabool Singh, 60, and the trio kidnapped four-year-old daughter Akshita, on October 1.

Mr Singh performed a gruesome ritual on the little girl, chopping off an arm, leg and ear while she was still alive.

He eventually killed her by slashing her throat with a huge knife, according to a police report. 

Brutal: The Singhs visited witch doctor Vriksh Pal, 50, who  advised them to ¿sacrifice¿ a girl in and leave her body so that her own parents would find it

Brutal: The Singhs visited witch doctor Vriksh Pal, 50, who  advised them to ‘sacrifice’ a girl in and leave her body so that her own parents would find it

Policemen with sniffer dog searching for evidence near the spot where dead body of four-year-old girl Akshita was found near her house in Sahranpur area of Uttar Pradesh 

Policemen with sniffer dog searching for evidence near the spot where dead body of four-year-old girl Akshita was found near her house in Sahranpur area of Uttar Pradesh 

Akshita’s father Mahavir Singh, 35, immediately filed a missing persons report with local police.

But four days later he was working in the field near his house, and found a mutilated body wrapped in a piece of cloth, later confirmed to be his daughter.

‘The accused killed an innocent child due to their superstitious beliefs,’ Superintendent of Police Prabal Pratap Singh, in Sahranpur, said.

‘The exorcist told Satish that he needs to sacrifice a girl to have a boy and he needs to place the body where the parents could easily find her. Satish mutilated the body and slit her throat before dropping her body near her house.

‘We have arrested Satish and Vriksh Pal, while Kabool Singh and daughter Namita are still on the run. We have also recovered the weapons from the accused which he used in the crime.’

In custody: Witch doctor Vrikish Pal and Satish Singh have been arrested by police while Namita and Singh's father-in-law are still on the run

In custody: Witch doctor Vrikish Pal and Satish Singh have been arrested by police while Namita and Singh’s father-in-law are still on the run

The post mortem report confirms the little girl died of severe injuries. 

A police team has been deployed to find Naimita and Kabool and have offered a reward of Rs10,000 (£115) for any leads connected to their whereabouts.

The preference of sons over daughters is a serious issue in many parts of India, with fewer than 800 girls are born for every 1,000 boys in some states.

Another worrying statistic from the UN reveals that from 2000 to 2010 there were 56 deaths of boys aged one to five, for every 100 girl deaths.

This has several causes; as daughters are traditionally married off with a dowry, they leave the family and are not around to care for their parents and a dowry can be costly.

Sons are also traditionally seen as potential heirs to property and the family business, however gender equality campaigners are trying to change this view.   

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