Two held for murdering friend in Gzb occult ritual; 3rd absconding

Ghaziabad: Two men have been arrested for allegedly murdering their friend as part of an occult ritual involving human sacrifice in the Loni area of Ghaziabad, police said on Sunday. A third accused remains absconding, and efforts are ongoing to trace him.

According to Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Siddharth Gautam of the Loni circle, the incident came to light on January 16, 2026, when the victim’s brother lodged a complaint at Tronica City Police Station. The complainant reported that his brother, Naveen alias Nandu, a resident of Milk Vikas Nagar in Loni, had gone missing and was later found murdered.

Police said Naveen was killed by unknown persons and his body burnt inside a battery-operated auto-rickshaw in an attempt to destroy evidence.

A case was registered, following which police scanned CCTV footage and relied on local intelligence to identify the suspects.

Based on the investigation, two accused, Pawan (25) and Sagar (24) alias Pandit, both residents of Nishant Colony in Ghaziabad, were arrested on Saturday. Another accused, Iqbal, remains at large.

During interrogation, the accused revealed that Naveen was their friend and that they had taken him to Delhi to meet a tantrik, who allegedly claimed that performing a human sacrifice could bring wealth and divine blessings. Influenced by these claims, the accused allegedly conspired to kill Naveen.

On the night of January 13, the group drank alcohol at Sagar’s room before attacking Naveen with a gas cylinder, killing him instantly. His body was wrapped in a blanket, loaded into an e-auto and set on fire. Police recovered the vehicle and cylinder.