"Must Exorcise Evil Spirits" Ruthlessly Beaten... 9-Year-Old Child Receiving 'Exorcism Ritual' Dies in Sri Lanka

Child Abuse / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Eun-young] In Sri Lanka, a mother and an exorcist who mercilessly beat a 9-year-old girl to death under the pretext of "driving out evil spirits" have been arrested by the police.

According to foreign media including News First on the 1st, a 9-year-old girl died after an exorcism ritual in a small village in the Biyagama area, located 33 km east of the capital Colombo. The mother and the exorcist were immediately arrested on charges of causing the child's death.

According to local police, the mother took her daughter to the exorcist's house, claiming that "my daughter was possessed by a demon," and the exorcist repeatedly beat the child with oil applied until she lost consciousness.

The police added, "The child was beaten for three consecutive days, lost consciousness yesterday, was taken to the hospital, and later died," and stated, "The body is being autopsied, and the female exorcist and the mother who assisted her have been arrested."

Police confirmed that they continuously beat the child with a cane, breaking at least five canes in the process.

The hospital reported that the child died due to damage to internal organs.

The police are investigating other victims, as the woman claiming to be an exorcist reportedly performed exorcism rituals on several people over the past few months.

Meanwhile, in Sri Lanka, exorcism rituals have been conducted for a very long time under the pretext of curing illnesses. Accidents resulting in patients losing their lives have repeatedly occurred during these processes.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.