Pune woman forced to donate menstrual blood by in-laws for bizarre black magic ritual, 7 held

In a bizarre incident, a woman in Pune was reportedly forced to “donate” menstrual blood by her husband and in-laws for use in a black magic ritual, police said on Friday.

A senior official said that seven persons, including the 28-year-old victim’s husband and her in-laws, have been arrested for allegedly forcing the woman to partake in a black magic ritual. He said the accused forcibly took the victim’s menstrual blood for use in an Aghori ritual.

The woman, said the official, filed a complaint against her husband, her mother-in-law, father-in-law, brother-in-law, and nephew and a case was registered against the accused under sections 377 (Unnatural offences), 354 (molestation), 498 (Enticing or taking away or detaining with criminal intent a married woman) and relevant sections of the Maharashtra Prevention and Eradication of Human Sacrifice and other Inhuman, Evil, and Aghori Practices and the Black Magic Act.

In her complaint, the woman alleged that she was subjected to mental and physical harassment since her marriage in 2019 in Beed district and in August last year, some of the accused, including her brothers-in-law, nephew and a neighbour forcibly took her menstrual blood by filling it in a bottle with a cotton swab for use in some obscure black magic practice.

She further alleged that one of the accused, her brother-in-law, was supposed to receive Rs 50,000 by “selling” her menstrual blood which was taken from the victim in August 2022 at her in-laws house in Maharashtra’s Beed district.

An official said that the woman’s maternal home is in Pune and following her complaint, the Pune police registered an FIR in Vishrantwadi Police station and transferred the case to Beed police for further investigation.

An official of Beed police said they have arrested seven accused in the incident and further investigation is underway.