MEERUT: The Uttar Pradesh police has launched an investigation into a case related to the disappearance of four human heads from a burial ground in Kotana village under Baghpats Baraut police circle. The matter came to light on Thursday when the villagers suspected occult rituals being conducted on the remains of their ancestors buried within the past year.Mohd Tenseer, a local resident, said, "The heads of four bodies, including two women and two men, are missing. It is our belief that occultists may have taken these heads for some tantric rituals. Consequently, more than 150 villagers have taken it upon themselves to maintain a constant vigil with torches and sticks in hand."On Thursday night, a crowd of villagers gathered at the graveyard after hearing the news of graves being dug up and body parts, particularly heads, missing.Mohd Tahir, another villager, said, "This is the first time such an incident has occurred in our village. While we had heard of similar incidents happening in nearby areas, we had never witnessed such acts ourselves. These occurrences tend to coincide with festivals like Diwali and Holi. It appears that the graves were dug up, the bodies removed, and subsequently placed back, minus their heads."However, the police have rejected the claims of missing heads. ASP Baghpat, Manish Mishra, told TOI that, "It appears that the graves were disturbed by an animal. However, we have received a complaint in the matter and registered an FIR under section 297 (trespassing on burial places) of the IPC against an unidentified person or animal. If any individual is found to be suspicious, strict action will be taken against them."

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