Rabat – A 43-year-old Indian man threw his friend’s 3-year-old daughter out of the window of his seventh floor flat. The toddler fell on a car and died from her injuries. The man told police that he committed the murder to “break a Moroccan curse”.
According to Indian press, the suspect, Anil Chughani, worked in a clothes shop in Morocco for ten years. He and his Indian wife, who have been married for more than ten years, were never able to have a child. A Moroccan colleague told Chughani that it could be because a Moroccan woman used black magic on him, and the only way to “break the curse” would be “to sacrifice twins and go to jail for it.”
The Indian man, who was described as “mentally unstable” after investigations, believed the suggested solution. According to India Today, he has been planning to “make the human sacrifice” since last May, 2019. He also kept a log of his plans and ideas on a personal diary.
On the day of the crime, Chughani asked his childhood friend, Premlal Hathiramani, if he could babysit Hathiramani’s 3-year-old twins for the day. Hathiramani’s 6-year-old son also wanted to go with Chughani, so a nanny joined the man to help with the three children, reports The Hindu.
While the nanny was busy looking after the 6-year-old boy and one of his twin sisters, Chughani took the toddler to the bedroom and threw her out of the window. The fall from the seventh floor flat caused her death.
Alarmed by the noise of the child falling on the bonnet of a car, the nanny protected the second twin. The suspect, knowing that he could not complete his plan of “sacrificing two twins,” called the police and locked himself in the bedroom until their arrival.
According to local press, Chughani will face trial for murder. He was also charged under the Indian penal code act for practices of human sacrifice and black magic.
Witchcraft and black magic are still relatively widespread phenomena, especially among older generations and illiterate people. A report published on August 9, 2012, by Pew Research Center states that 78% of Moroccans believe in black magic. About 7% of Moroccans admitted that they used “spells” to prevent bad luck and bring good fortune. The studied sample consisted of 1.474 Moroccans.
Article 609 of Morocco’s penal code says: “anyone who practices ‘fortune-telling’ or dreams interpretation shall be punished with a fine ranging from MAD 10 to 120.”
Article complet Indian Man Throws 3-Year-Old Toddler Out of Window to ‘Break a Moroccan Curse’ Sur L'Express.