Real life 'witch hunt': Police looking for 2 people who tried to burn a teen alive in a cauldron

The likes of Sabrina the Teenage Witch and Harry Potter won't tell you a lot about this, but witch hunts used to be a pretty common and popular thing to do back in the 1960s. One of the most infamous cases was the Salem Witch Trials in the United States.

But something much more bizarre has happened now. Considering it is the 21^st century, and with the current advancements in science and people's in general thinking, you'd think these times were over. The police are now apparently looking for two "witches" in southwest Germany after an 18-year-old woman was dropped in a cauldron of boiling water during a carnival.

Also read: Man kills woman after branding her as 'witch'

The incident – which happened in Eppingen, Baden Württemberg, over the weekend – left the teenager badly injured and scalded on her feet and calves. The people responsible for her injuries were dressed in witches' costumes and reportedly fled the scene almost immediately after.

The carnival where it took place has been organized by the Hexenzunft Eppingen – meaning "Witchcraft Eppingen". It has been organizing the annual event since 2003, with hundreds of participants, the Local reported.

The morbid ritual was apparently being carried out by placing the cauldron on a carnival cart that was being pulled along by several other people also dressed in witch costumes. The local media reported that the teenage victim's friends were behind all of this.

They had apparently "handed her over" to two of the people who had dressed as witches as a joke and then proceeded to carry her to the cart. One of those "witches" reportedly held her over the cauldron while the other lifted the lid – all done in an attempt to mimic scenes from fairy-tales and legends where witches would boil their victims alive.

While it's still unknown how the teenager ended up with her feet in the cauldron, as per the Local.De's reports, the police issued a statement saying the people involved in the carnival — who were also dragging the cart — continued with the procession without caring for the victim.

The girl has now been hospitalized and is expected to remain under specialist care for over a week, as her injuries need that.