VARANASI, Aug. 15 -- Six people were arrested on Friday in connection with the murder of an occultist in Varanasi, and the weapons allegedly used in the crime have been recovered, police said. The accused are Sonu, 36, Vishal, 24, Vikas Kumar Gond, 24, Sahil Gond, 22, Abhishek alias Rohit Kashyap, 26, and Mohit Kashyap, 22. They were arrested from different places at different times on Friday. According to the police, the victim, Anish Upadhyay, had been reported missing by his wife at the Lalpur Pandeypur police station on July 9. On August 13, she submitted a written complaint alleging that several people murdered her husband and hid his body in bushes to destroy evidence. Police said the murder took place on July 1. To conceal the victim's identity, the accused allegedly disfigured his face. The body was later identified through a tattoo on one of his hands, police said. Inspector-in-charge Atul Kumar Singh said a case was registered at the Lalpur Pandeypur police station under sections 191(2), 103(1) and 238 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Following the investigation, the accused were arrested on Friday. During interrogation, the accused allegedly told the police that their family had been facing severe financial hardship and illness. Believing that evil spirits were responsible for their problems, they contacted occultist Anish Upadhyay, who lived in Om Nagar Colony under the Lalpur Pandeypur police station limits, to perform rituals. The accused claimed that Upadhyay carried out rituals for four to five days, but the family's condition only became worse. They said that after Vikas Gond's health deteriorated and he underwent treatment in Kanpur, they decided to kill the occultist. According to the police, the accused told investigators that Sonu, Vikas, Vishal and their maternal cousins, Abhishek Kashyap alias Rohit Kashyap and Mohit Kashyap, planned the murder and travelled from Kanpur to Varanasi. They allegedly lured Upadhyay to their rented house in Kanchanpur, Manduwadih, on the pretext that their friend, Sahil Gond, was possessed by an evil spirit. Police said they recovered a wooden stool, a domestic gas cylinder, an iron rod and a music system with speakers, which were allegedly used in the crime. Additional deputy commissioner of police Lipi Nagayach said the Lalpur Pandeypur police station is taking further legal action....