Trio held for India 'sacrifice'

Police in India's Uttar Pradesh state have arrested three people in connection with the death of a girl they say was killed as "a sacrifice".

Police say there could be an occult dimension to the murders.

According to police, the girl was abducted from her house in Lakhimpur Khiri district on Monday and killed.

District police chief Piyush Mordia said the accused trio would be detained under the stringent National Security Act for suspected murder.

The girl's mother reported the disappearance to Bhira police station on Tuesday. Her daughter's body was found after a search.

Police say they believe the death is connected to an occult practitioner who promised he could cure ailments by sacrificing a child "to please supernatural powers".

The BBC's Ram Dutt Tripathi in the state capital, Lucknow, says Lakhimpur is seen as a backward area where literacy rates are low.