A 27-year-old man has been arrested in Chhattisgarh’s Jashpur district for allegedly killing his four-year-old cousin and removing several of the child’s organs after reportedly searching online for ways to become wealthy.
The accused, identified as Vasudev Ram, alias Tangnu, allegedly believed that human organs could fetch crores of rupees on the black market. Police said he had become obsessed with accumulating wealth and had used artificial intelligence (AI) tools to seek information about organ sales. He reportedly believed that the AI system responding to his queries would send a buyer to collect the organs.
The incident took place in Aamtchua village, around 350 km south-east of Raipur.
Child Went Missing on November 5
The victim, identified as Jitendra, went missing on November 5. His father, Abhijit Ram Korwa, a farm labourer who lives in a makeshift hut near the Aamtchua river dam, filed a missing person report after searching for the child without success.
According to the police investigation, Tangnu visited the settlement that morning and consumed alcohol with relatives. He allegedly lured the child into a nearby forest, saying they would go on an outing.
Police said the accused prepared chicken, fed it to the child and forced him to drink alcohol.
Investigators alleged that Tangnu later removed the child’s eyes, kidneys and lungs, placed the organs in a bucket and disposed of the body in a water-filled pit beneath a tree in a nearby maize field.
Villagers discovered the body on the evening of November 8 and informed the authorities.
Accused Allegedly Watched Surgical Videos
Police said witnesses had last seen the child with Tangnu, leading investigators to detain him. He allegedly confessed to the crime and remains in police custody as forensic experts and investigators examine the case.
According to the account of the investigation, the accused had also watched surgical videos on YouTube to learn how human organs could be removed.
Dr Dinesh Mishra, president of the Andh Shraddha Nirmoolan Samiti, an organisation that works against superstition and social evils, pointed to illiteracy, isolation and unmonitored digital misinformation as factors that could leave vulnerable communities exposed to harmful beliefs.
He described these factors as “the toxic foundation behind such unimaginable savagery”.
