Girl killed in black magic rite, couple held

MANGALORE - A three-year-old girl was killed by a couple in a black magic rite near this coastal Karnataka town Friday. The accused couple has been arrested, police said.

Priyanka, daughter of Kiran Kumar Jha and Anjali from Bihar, was missing since Thursday afternoon. Her body was found Friday in a field at Yeyyadi village on the outskirts of the town, Deputy Commissioner of Police R. Ramesh told reporters. The Jhas work at a godown in Mangalore.

The arrested couple Kamalaksha and Vimala have confessed to the crime, he said.

Angered by the incident, a group of people in the area ransacked the house of the accused couple. They also attacked a police station nearby demanding the couple be handed over to them.

Police said they have not arrested anybody for the attack on the house of Kamalaksha and the police station.