Anisha, a 23-year-old pregnant woman who was arrested for murdering her six-year-old stepdaughter, is said to have had an absolute miserable childhood in Shamli district of Uttar Pradesh.
She reportedly lost her parents at a very young age and was raised by her maternal uncle and grandmother in their memory.
Police sources said, Shamli had 35% to 40% poverty and that along with illiteracy put its residents at risk of all kinds of stuff like witchcraft and sorcery. After marriage, Anisha and her husband Ajas Khan came to Nellikuzhi’s house four months ago. They had one daughter each from their previous marriage. The house had been empty for more than a year and a half and Ajas’s father had also passed away.
“She felt uncomfortable in the house right from the start. Then her grandmother suggested that it might be because there was an evil spirit in the house and she blindly believed it,” said a police source.
Ajas then took her to Naushad, a local ‘magician’ whom she had been consulting since childhood. It is said that due to this, his condition has worsened. Naushad allegedly convinced himself that he possessed three souls and claimed to have been healed by two souls. During questioning, Naushad claimed that he told Ajas that he should take his wife to a psychiatrist and that he could also endanger their children. However, Ajas shot him down and said that the ‘wizard’ had never done such a thing.
Ajas’s wife, originally from West Bengal, allegedly used to inquire with him about their daughter. This probably made Anisha more uncomfortable and insecure. She was probably afraid that Ajas would leave her like her first husband.
“Her belief in witchcraft and sorcery seemed so deeply rooted that she even attributed her actions to the ‘spirit’ she believed to be within her. Perhaps it was for this reason that the ritualistic ‘sorcery’ was invoked for the girl’s alleged abuse. He finally cracked and confessed while being staged,” the police said.
published – Dec 20, 2024 07:59 pm IST