Woman attacks daughter with machete in suspected case of human sacrifice

Bengaluru, Nov 20 (PTI) Police are probing a suspected case of human sacrifice after a 25-year-old woman was brutally attacked by her mother inside a temple in northeastern Bengaluru.

According to police, the incident occurred on Wednesday afternoon.

The victim suffered deep neck injuries when her 55 year-old mother attacked her with a machete after morning prayers at the Harihareshwara Temple in Agrahara Layout, off Thanisandra Main Road.

She was rushed to a private hospital, where her condition is said to be critical.

According to police, the women reached the temple around 4.30 am on Wednesday, prayed briefly, and then sat down when the attack unfolded.

Her screams alerted passersby, who pulled the mother away before calling 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," a police officer told PTI.

The injured woman lives with her husband, a weaver from Anekal, while her mother stays with her elderly father in Sampigehalli.

Police said the woman frequently argued with her husband and would return to her mother's home. The two women had recently been performing special poojas seeking relief from her marital problems.

The accused had allegedly consulted an astrologer who reportedly advised a human sacrifice during a specific hour.

Police are now trying to trace the astrologer for questioning while they wait for the injured woman to recover to record her statement and reconstruct the sequence of events. PTI GMS SA