WATCH: Man hangs upside down in bizarre esoteric rite

Suspect tells police he performed the ritual on the request of faith healers Qaiser Abbas and Kashif Abbas in Lodhran

In what appears a bizarre esoteric ritual, a man was hoisted upside down from a tree in Punjab’s Lodhran district over the weekend. A video of the unusual event has gone viral on social media.

In the video, the man identified as Arshad can be seen dangling upside down from a tree as a fellow villager fastens his rope before pulling him higher. Arshad then can be seen swaying back and forth and eventually hugging his knees to traditional music and folk chants. Fascinated spectators can be seen enjoying the ritual as no one did anything to stop the peculiar event.

Hung upside-down in a bizarre esoteric rite: A man was hoisted upside down from a tree in Lodhran. Dangling by his feet, the man can be seen swaying back and forth to traditional music and folk chants.#etribune #news #lodhran pic.twitter.com/keeR4JGS1s

— The Express Tribune (@etribune) June 22, 2022

The incident, which took place near Qureshiwala police station a couple days back, has come into the attention of District Police Officer (DPO) Abdul Rauf Babar Qaisarani after the video started doing rounds on internet.

Following an initial investigation into the matter, local police arrested three men involved in the incident. When questioned, Arshad informed police that he performed the ritual on the request of faith healers Qaiser Abbas and Kashif Abbas.

Locals have informed The Express Tribune that Qaiser Abbas, the main suspect who is notorious for performing this ritual every year, duping those who dangle upside down to believe he can exorcise demons from within them or cater to their mental health needs, is yet to be brought to book.

Also read: Woman whose head was hammered with nail by fake 'peer' identified

Local police however vowed that they will ensure that suspects are dealt with harshly and in accordance with the law.

Earlier this year, in February a pregnant woman who had a nail hammered into her skull by a faith healer in Peshawar made international headlines. According to investigations, the woman had alleged that her husband would divorce her if she gave birth to another girl.