Ten-year-old girl in Egypt 'sacrificed to the jinn' to be buried

The burial of a ten-year-old girl, killed by her uncle and his wife as a "sacrifice to the jinn" - or spirits - in Egypt, has been authorised by the public prosecution office.

The mother of the young girl, Shaima, reported the horrific incident to the security services, Roya News and Gulf News published.

The mother left her home to run errands on Friday and when she returned she discovered her daughter, Shaima, was missing.

Security sources found the young girl in a room at her uncle's house in a "bad" condition.

Shaima's fully clothed body had been covered in sand and her scarf was wrapped around her neck, indicating she had been strangled.

Her uncle and his wife were arrested as suspects in her murder and later confessed to committing the crime.

The defendants killed the young girl after a charlatan told them to sacrifice her to a supposed jinn, saying it would help them find treasure.

However, before the ritual began, Shaima's uncle strangled his niece as he feared a police response.

Earlier this week, a similar crime was reported in Egypt as a four-year-old girl was allegedly sacrificed by her uncle, who it is said also believed killing his niece would help him find treasure, Gulf News reported.

The public prosecution office in the Akhmim Centre, Egypt, authorised the burial of Shaima after her body had been examined by forensics, local Egyptian media outlet Masrawy reported on Sunday.