Bilaspur man slits throat in occult ritual, dies by suicide

Raipur: A 45-year-old man, who sustained his family by begging, allegedly died by suicide after slitting his own throat in an apparent occult ritual in Chhattisgarh's Bilaspur district on Wednesday.The deceased was found lying in a pool of blood inside the prayer room of his house. According to police, the deceased was identified as Chandan who had left home in the morning as usual and returned around 6pm. He reportedly spent some time talking with his elder brother while smoking beedis before going into the puja room.Around 7pm, his daughter-in-law went towards the prayer room for some work and found him lying critically injured, with severe bleeding. Her screams alerted other family members who rushed to the spot.The family initially believed he was still alive and rushed him to a nearby hospital, but doctors declared him dead on arrival.On receiving information, a police team reached the spot. Given the nature of the incident, a dog squad and forensic experts were called in from Bilaspur to examine the scene. Police said the man was known to be involved in religious rituals and had allegedly purchased a knife the same night, which he used to inflict the fatal injury. "Prima facie, it appears he slit his throat himself under the influence of occult practices," police said.Police added that the deceased had earlier attempted self-harm around four months ago by cutting his wrist. Further investigation is underway.