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Topics: Animals, Health, India, World News
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A baby bird was found alive inside a dead man’s throat in a shocking discovery medics believe was due to attempting a fertility ritual.
An Indian man, named Anand Yadav, collapsed at his home in Chhindwara village, Chhattisgarh, India, after he took a bath on December 14.
The Hindustan Times reported Anand's family rushed the 35-year-old to a nearby university hospital and told medics he had been feeling dizzy before he passed out.
Despite paramedics efforts, the man then tragically died, stumping medics at the Medical College Hospital in Ambikapur as they were unable to determine an obvious cause of death.
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However, the team made a breakthrough when an autopsy led to an unlikely discovery.
An incision in Anand's neck revealed a chick had become lodged in his throat, and was still alive when it was discovered.
Dr Santu Bagh, who carried out the autopsy, said the bird was about 20 cm (8 inches) in length and had become stuck in the man's windpipe, obstructing his airways, breathing and food passage which caused asphyxiation.
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"This is the first time I have encountered such a case in my career," the doctor, who has performed more than 15,000 post-mortems, told India Today.
The GP added: "A 20-centimetre-long chick became stuck in a U-shape after possibly fluttering its wings, blocking not only the windpipe but also obstructing the oesophagus, the food pipe that connects the throat to the stomach."
The bizarre circumstances around Anand's death caused locals to suspect an occult-style ritual had taken place which involves swallowing a live chick whole.
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According to villages, the man had been married for more than five years without having any children. So, he reportedly made contact with a type of an occultist shaman, called a 'tantrik', to help with infertility.
A tantrik is known in Indian culture as a mystic healer and uses unconventional practices that blends supernatural powers with religious philosophy in a bid to heal the sick.
It is believed Anand might have swallowed the live bird as part of a ritual to improve his chances of becoming a parent and starting a family.
A relative reportedly told The New Indian Express that 'he firmly claimed that owning to Jhar-phoonk (spell of sorcery)' he could become a father.
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Local police officers have since launched an investigation into his mysterious death and are yet to confirm the exact circumstances of the incident. But it's also not the first time suspected superstitious occult practices have taken lives.
A 42-year-old 'tantrik' was arrested for allegedly conspiring to murder a businessman died earlier this month while in police custody in Gujarat's Ahmedabad.
The Hindustan Times reported the tantrik had admitted to giving 12 people drinks laced with a chemical that killed them.
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It was also suspected that they were involved in human sacrifices.