Tantrik ‘kills’ lesbian after promising to change her sex; victim wanted to marry her partner

A tantrik has been arrested for allegedly strangulating a 27-year-old lesbian from Uttar Pradesh’s Shahjahanpur to death after taking her to a secluded place, promising to change her gender. Police have also arrested the woman’s 25-year-old partner Preeti Sagar, who lived in Lakhimpur Kheri, on several charges, including murder and criminal conspiracy. The deceased, Poonam Kumari, a resident of Shahjahanpur, met Preeti in college and both were in a relationship for a few months, said Shahjahanpur’s additional superintendent of police (ASP) city, Sudhir Jaiswal. Police said Poonam was allegedly lured by the tantric (occultist), identified as Ram Niwas, who promised of changing her gender. “Preeti Sagar’s reluctance in getting married to a man despite her family’s multiple efforts, revealed her relationship status, and invited opposition from both the families who feared social stigma,” ASP Jaiswal said. Why Preeti Sagar was arrested? In Lakhimpur Kheri, Mohammadi police station in-charge, Amber Singh, said the tantrik was in touch with Preeti’s mother Urmila and told her that changing Poonam’s gender could help her get married to her daughter. On 18 April, Poonam was allegedly called for the ritual around 50km away from Lakhimpur Kheri and had since been missing. A police complaint was lodged by Poonam’s brother Parvinder Kumar on 26 April. “The police came to know about Preeti Sagar when they scanned the victim’s call details and discovered they both had been talking over phone for long durations,” ASP Jaiswal said. Meanwhile, a report by India Today said that Urmila met the tantrik and hatched a plan to kill Poonam. She allegedly promised Ram Nivas Rs 1.5 lakh to kill her daughter’s girlfriend. The woman allegedly paid Rs 5,000 in advance to the tantrik and assured of giving the remaining amount once he killed Poonam. Police said the tantrik confessed to having strangulated Poonam after calling her at a deserted place on the pretext of performing a ritual to change her gender. ASP Jaiswal said that the tantrik fled after disposing of the body on the banks of the Gomti in a forested area. According to a report by news agency IANS, police recovered 11 bones from near Preeti’s house and have sent it for forensic examination. In the FIR, Poonam’s brother accused Preeti, her mother Urmila and the tantrik of murdering his sister. With inputs from agencies Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News , India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.