Rawalpindi police arrested a man surprised to dig a girl’s grave in a local cemetery, allegedly to make a black magic ritual, officials announced on Thursday.
The suspect, identified as Yaseen Bukhari, was found with articles commonly associated with occult practices, including an effigy of clay resembling a human torso, seven amulets and seven iron nails wrapped in wire, the police said.
Bukhari, a resident of the village of Adhowal, would have told the police that he followed the instructions of a spiritual healer who said that finding buried objects would heal his bedridden wife.
“The suspect was caught in the act with ritual objects while desecrating the grave,” said sub-inspector Aslam Parvez, who filed the complaint. “His initial statement suggests that he was acting out of despair after failing to find a medical solution for his wife’s disease.”
The police were alerted by the father of the deceased daughter, who noticed someone altering the grave shortly after the burial.
The police arrived at the scene and found Bukhari digging near the site with a small spade. A plastic bag containing the effigy, amulets and nails has been recovered from its possession.
The authorities said the suspect had been charged under article 297 of the Pakistan Criminal Code, which criminalizes interference in burial sites.
He was then endorsed by the court, because the offense is renamed.
