Woman forced to drink alcohol, smoke beedi as part of black magic in Kerala

A young woman was allegedly forced to smoke beedi and drink alcohol while being subjected to hours-long physical and mental torture in the name of black magic in Kottayam district of Kerala, police said on Saturday.

Her partner and his family brought a sorcerer to their home last week, allegedly for what they called ''to evict a ghost from the woman's body'' and subjected her to hours-long ordeals, police said.

As the mental condition of the woman deteriorated, her father lodged a complaint, following which the police registered a case and launched an investigation.

Police said the sorcerer Shivadas (54), the woman's partner Akhil Das (26) and his father Das (54) were arrested in this regard on Friday.

As per the complaint, the partner's mother had brought the sorcerer and made arrangements for the black magic, alleging that the woman's body was possessed by the evil spirits of her deceased relatives.

''The black magic started by 11.00 am on the day and lasted till night. I fell unconscious at the end,'' the woman told the media on Saturday.

She alleged that, amidst the ritual, she was given alcohol, forced to smoke beedi, made to consume ''sacred ash'', and subjected to other forms of physical torture, including burn injuries.

The sorcerer, the prime accused in the case, who had gone into hiding after switching off his phone following the incident, was arrested from the Muthoor area in Thiruvalla, police said.

The partner's mother, a co-accused in the case, is currently absconding, they added. The arrested were remanded by a court later, police added.