Ghaziabad: Two people were arrested for allegedly murdering a man in the name of occult rituals and human sacrifice on Friday.According to Loni ACP Siddharth Gautam, the incident came to light on Jan 16, 2026, when the deceased’s brother registered a complaint with Tronica City police station.The deceased, identified as Naveen alias Nandu, a resident of Milk Vikas Nagar, Loni, was killed by unknown persons, and his body was set on fire inside an auto, police said.Based on the complaint, a case was registered. Cops scanned CCTV footage and used local intelligence to identify the suspects. Following this, two people were arrested on Saturday. The arrested men were identified as Pawan (25), a resident of Nishant Colony, Ghaziabad and Sagar (24) alias Pandit of Nishant Colony, Ghaziabad. A third accused, Naseem alias Iqbal, is currently absconding, and police teams are actively searching for him.The accused told police that Naveen was their friend and that they took him to Delhi to meet a tantrik. The tantrik allegedly claimed that by offering a human sacrifice, they could gain wealth and divine blessings. Allegedly, Naveen asked the tantrik whether the “sacrifice” could include a friend.Influenced by the conversations, the accused conspired to kill Naveen. On the night of Jan 13, the group gathered at Sagar’s room and consumed alcohol, after which the accused attacked Naveen with a gas cylinder and killed him. To destroy evidence, they wrapped the body in a blanket, placed it inside a battery-operated auto, and later set the vehicle on fire.Cops recovered a battery-operated auto-rickshaw and a gas cylinder used in the crime from the possession of the accused. Officials also revealed that both arrested accused have previous criminal records, including cases of murder, robbery, theft, and violations under the Arms Act.
