In a shocking incident, a 32-year-old trader named Vijay in Karnataka's Kolar district allegedly slit the throat of a man and drank his blood on 19 June. The victim, Maresh, who is in his early 30s, survived the alleged murder attempt and filed a complaint with the police.
What happened? Reportedly, Vijay, who trades vegetables in Mandyampet, was angry with Maresh, as he was "close" with his wife. Maresh, however, managed to stay alive as Vijay had used a small knife to commit the crime, The Indian Express quoted the police as saying.
The incident was filmed by Vijay's cousin John Babu. The police have arrested Vijay for attempted murder and are on the lookout for Babu.
What was the motive? Being a trader, Vijay used to rent Maresh's Tata Ace for transporting goods. However, he found out that Maresh used to call his wife over the phone and have lengthy conversations with her. He reportedly told Maresh off but to no avail. Irked by his behaviour, Vijay plotted his murder.
How was the crime committed? On 19 June, Vijay, with the help of Babu, rented a trip with Maresh from Siddepalli Cross to a farm nearby. As per IE, when Maresh arrived in his transport vehicle, Vijay and Babu took him on a bike to a secluded location.
"The attack occurred near Siddepalli Cross in the Chintamani taluk on June 19 and was recorded by Vijay’s cousin. Maresh survived the assault as Vijay used a small knife that did not cause significant damage. Police investigations revealed that Maresh and Vijay's wife had been constantly communicating via phone, fuelling Vijay's rage," IE quoted a police official as saying.
The video shot by Babu, which is now viral, purportedly shows Vijay slitting Maresh's throat and drinking his spilled blood. While it is unclear why he did it, this is not the first time a crime like this has been reported in India.
Other Instances Across India
Drinking human blood is commonly referred to as vampirism, owing to the act's obvious association with 'vampires'. Experts also believe that vampirism may be a clinical disorder in some people who have a compulsive need to drink blood. As per a Firstpost report, there are very few studies on this and the condition remains very rare.
In India, there have been multiple crimes that involved drinking human blood – most of which were as part of 'black magic' practices and human sacrifice rituals.
2012: Man sentenced to death for beheading newborn, drinking its blood
A well-known case that involved the practice of 'blood-drinking' is that of an alleged black magic practitioner, who was caught drinking the blood dripping from a newborn's head in January 2012. Owing to the nature of the crime, he was sentenced to death in 2014 by a Bankura fast-track court.
Fifty-five-year-old Lakshmikanta Karmakar was known to practise animal sacrifices. He was attacked by residents of Saltora village when they witnessed him manipulating the baby's head and consuming its blood at a cremation ground near a Kali temple on the night of 29 January 2012.
2017: Woman kills 10-year-old, drinks his blood in UP
A 33-year-old woman was sentenced to life imprisonment in November 2022 for killing her neighbour's 10-year-old son and consuming his blood as part of a ritualistic act, believing it would aid her in conceiving a child.
The woman's partner and cousin, who assisted her in the crime, were also given life sentences. The incident occurred on 5 December 2017, in Jamuka village, under the jurisdiction of Roza police station. The woman, named Dhan Devi, was apprehended on 8 December 2017.
2017: Man cuts girl's throat, tries to drink her blood
A man was arrested in January 2017 after he cut the throat of a girl in Class III and made an attempt to drink her blood on the seashore in Bada Arjeepalli, Ganjam district, Odisha, according to the police.
The accused, 33-year-old U Bairagi, allegedly used a razor to slit the girl's throat while she was playing with her friends. The police said that after cutting the girl's throat, Bairagi tried to consume her blood.
2019: 27-year-old man kills mother, drinks her blood in Chhattisgarh
In 2019, a young man involved in tantric rituals allegedly killed his mother in an act of 'cannibalism' in Chhattisgarh's Korba district.
Witnesses reportedly saw him drinking his mother's blood as she lay dying but were too terrified to intervene. It took one witness more than three days to gather the courage to report the incident to the police. Unfortunately, by the time the police arrived, the accused, Dilip Yadav, had allegedly dismembered and burnt his mother's body.
According to his neighbours, Dilip practised 'black magic' and frequently discussed human sacrifice. He labelled his mother a 'witch' and held her responsible for the deaths of his father and brother, according to the police.
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