On Friday, the decomposing body of Jivan Kohar was recovered from a bush in a Nepalese village, Reuters reports. His throat had been slit. Five people have been arrested in connection with his death, which reports said may have been a case of human sacrifice.

Nal Prasad Upadhyaya, a police official, said the 10-year-old boy’s body was found in Kudiya, a village in the Nawalparasi district, on the border with India. From Reuters:

The Kathmandu Post newspaper said the father of a man who was ill had confessed to the killing “to chase away the evil spirits” from his ailing son, after seeking advice from a village shaman.

He is said to have lured the boy with the help of neighbours to an isolated place by offering biscuits and promising to pay him 50 US cents. He then performed a religious rite, killed the boy and dumped his body in a bush, media reports said.

Police said all five arrested will be charged with murder.

Photo credit: AP Images. Contact the author of this post: brendan.oconnor@gawker.com.