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An Indian woman was arrested for inflicting over a 100 cuts to her sister-in-law's body in a supposed exorcism ritual, Gulf News reported on Thursday.
The culprit claims she inflicted 101 cuts on the victim, who has been idenitified as Renu, as a form of sacrifice in exorcism, believing it will ensure the recovery of her ailing father.
The victim was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit of the district hospital of Uttar Pradesh, where she received two dozen stitches on her face alone.
A total of 300 stitches were given to Renu.
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The 30-year old Moni was helped by her husband Mooli and brother Raju in the act, which was carried out on Tuesday in Uttar Pradesh's Bareilly district.
The woman has been sent to jail, while Mooli and Raju are still absconding.
According to local police, the complaint had been filed by Renu's brother under section 307 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) that states attempt to murder.
"Accused Moni, who practices exorcism, decided to cure her father by initiating the act. Going by superstitious beliefs, they inflicted as many as 101 cuts on Renu's face and body. It cannot be ruled out that they wanted to sacrifice her to complete the act," said the police inspector.
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The suspect had detained Renu's husband and mother-in-law in another room when they tried to stop her from carrying out the exorcism on her.
With no help available, Renu struggled but somehow managed to escape from the house and collapsed unconscious after running a short distance from home.
A police officer on duty reportedly took her to a district hospital.
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India has a grim record of crime related to superstitious beliefs. While most go unreported, earlier in 2016, a seven-year-old boy in a rural Indian village in the state of Jharkand was forced to marry a female dog to ward off evil spirits as his horoscope predicted his first wife would die at a young age.
In 2012, a seven-year-old Indian girl was murdered in a tribal sacrifice and her liver was offered to the gods to improve crop growth, in the central state of Chhattisgarh.
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