A charred body of a 42 day old infant girl was recovered under mysterious circumstances about 200 meters away from her home in Bhelatikar village under Satki panchayat in Ranchi’s Angara block on Thursday afternoon, sending shock waves among the local residents.

The discovery also sparked various speculations including 'child sacrifice', a social menace which still exists in certain parts of the state.

Ranchi police however said that they are probing different angles and have initially detained the deceased's 21-year-old mother identified as Sunita Devi because of her contradictory statements.

Initially, she told police that she was alone and had gone to the washroom to take a bath. Upon returning, she discovered her child was missing.

Later on, she kept changing her statement, said a police officer but didn't elaborate.

Ranchi’s rural SP Naushad Alam confirmed the developments. “Local police rushed to the spot after learning about the incident. The body was completely charred and thrown inside a pit in the bush nearby. We are questioning the baby’s mother, Sunita Devi.”

On how the recovery occurred, an official of Angara police station said that around 11 am, Sunita first raised an alarm that her child was missing. "Neighbours and other residents spotted flames coming out of a pit from a nearby bush, around 200m away from the house. A local immediately informed police," he said.

Local sources claimed that the mother may have tried to dispose the baby because of domestic tiff or 'sacrificed' her to get a baby boy. Sunita, after marrying Bhuvneshwar Mahto in 2017, gave birth to two daughters. The police declined to comment on the sacrifice angle.

“All aspects will be looked into. But prima facie, it could be because she was under pressure from family for giving birth to two daughters. She has a five year old girl too. Her husband Bhuvneshwar Mahto is a daily wager in Ranchi,” he said, adding that other family members will also be questioned soon.