Girl dies after being caned during ‘exorcism’ in Sri Lanka

Police officers outside a house where a nine-year-old girl was canned to death in Delgoda, Sri Lanka (AP/Sudath Pubudu Keerthi)

Police in Sri Lanka have arrested two people in connection with the death of a nine-year-old girl who was repeatedly beaten during a ritual they believed would drive away an evil spirit.

The two suspects – the woman performing the exorcism and the girl’s mother – are to appear in court to hear charges over the girl’s death, which occurred over the weekend in Delgoda, a small town near the capital, Colombo.