Meerut, Nov. 1 -- The locals of Nagla Road area, Meerut, on Friday found a human skull and skeletal remains scattered in a nearby forest. The gruesome find has raised fears of occult practices, with police suspecting a connection to the mysterious disappearance and murder of two local boys from the same locality eight months ago. According to police, the remains were found near Nawabgarh village under the Sardhana police station area. Circle officer (CO) Sardhana Ashutosh Kumar, along with SHO Dinesh Pratap Singh and a police team, reached the spot and began investigating. The remains have been sent for forensic examination, and a DNA test will be conducted to confirm the identity. Police suspect that the bones may belong to 11-year-old Rehan, who was abducted from Nawabgarh nearly a year ago. His family had been searching for him ever since, but no trace was found. Around eight months later, another boy, 15-year-old Uvaish, from the same lane, was murdered. The accused, Asad, a local resident and self-proclaimed tantric (occult practitioner), was arrested in that case. During interrogation, Asad confessed to killing Uvaish, and police recovered his body based on his disclosure. However, they also found Rehan's clothes and hair from Asad's house, raising suspicions that he too had been murdered. Despite extensive searches, Rehan's body was never located. Back then, the police investigations revealed that Asad had kidnapped both Rehan and Uvaish from his own street for performing a tantric ritual. Before killing them, he had allegedly sexually assaulted both minors. He later demanded a ransom of Rs.5 lakh from their families. On Friday, officers collected the remains with the help of locals. CO Ashutosh Kumar said, "The remains have been sent to a forensic laboratory."...