BLACK MAGIC

Evening Star, Issue 20010, 30 October 1928, Page 3

BLACK MAGIC

AH INDIAN MYSTERY Just ordinary kidnapping or sofflfl recondite form of sorcery—that is the problem which the Scotland Yard of the State of Hyderabad is called upon to solve in accounting for the fate of three children, born of the same mother in three alternate years. who vanished a few days after their birth. The strange disappearance of thefirst child naturally created a stir; the spiriting away of the second, despite safeguarding caused, alarm; but when the third child vanished, although every possible human agency for kidnapping had been excluded, it can easily bo understood that the popular mind should turn to the world of malignant spirits for an explanation. The story is told by the Secunderabad correspondent of tho ' Pioneer ' (Allahabad), _ who states that while the police register the cases as ordinary kidnapping, popular belief finds an explanation of the mystery in " Bhanamati," which is a form of black magic extensively practised in the State of Hyderabad. As. gleaned by the correspondent the facts of the case are as follow:

Mr Syed Jnffar Hussain, who is employed as a clerk in an office at Bhopgir, in tbe Nalgouda district, and his wife, llukia Bi, are said to bo a happy couple, very much attached to each other, and leading a normal and peaceful married life. In the year 1923 Fasli, their first child, a eon, was born, but a fortnight after his arrival he disappeared and all search for him proved fruitless. In 1925 Fasli, their second child, also a son, was born, and in spite of all possible precautions to safeguard him he, too 1 , disappeared like tho first child a fortnight after his birth. On both occasions the husband and wife and iboir cbihl were asleep in a room of their house, and with tho exception of a single floor, which _ had been barred and locked from tho inside, tho room had no window or other opening.

Tho disappearance took place at about midnight when, according to tho statement made by llukia I3L herself, she fell into a kind of semi-conscious state, during which she saw two strangely-clad persons armed with naked swords approaching her. After threatening her, these strange beings snatched away her child and vanished. The door of the room showed no signs of having been tampered with. In 1926 llukia Bi was found to bo with child for the third time, and her husband firmly determined to safe- , guard tho child on its arrival against the fate of the two previous children, adopted special precautionary measures. He removed with his wife to a relative’s house, and, to make assurance doubly sure, applied to the police requesting them to make arrangements to guard the place. Accordingly, two police constables wer* told off for this duty. Rukia Bi was again delivered of II healthy male child on November 4 under normal circumstances, and no, pains were spared in caring for tbe child. Notwithstanding, this infant also strangely enough disappeared at midnight of November 19. As on tho previous occasions all entrances to the room were closely bolted and barred from the inside, the only occupants of it being the husband, liis wife, - and their child. Moreover, tho constables were guarding the house out-" side during tho incident and reported that they had seen nobody either entering or leaving the house. Awakened by the ravings of his wife, Jaffar Hussain arose and found that tho child was missing and the, mother was in a kind of swoon. Whenshe regained her senses she stated that a woman came to her in her sleep and took the child away from her by force. How the strange woman left the house with the child and made good her escape "remains a mystery to this day. Rukia Bi is now expecting another child, and the police have not lost any time in making arrangements to protect tbe infant. Rukia Bi has been brought down to Hyderabad from Bhongir under police protection, and is at present lodged safely in a local hospital, and the police have made special arrangements for guarding tbe place, and are keeping a strict watch*