EVRY, France -- A 21-year-old Congolese man has been placed under investigation and jailed in the Paris suburbs for allegedly burning a teenage girl to give her the power to heal others, court sources said Thursday.

The man, who was not named, allegedly used a cigarette and a hot knife to burn the arms, back and legs of the 16-year-old girl, telling her it would give her the power to heal the sick and change her destiny, the sources said.

The incident took place Saturday on a football pitch in Vigneux-sur-Seine southeast of the French capital, where the man had brought the girl and two other minors.

The man has been placed under formal investigation for "torture and barbaric acts", while the two minors, who fled the scene without alerting authorities, have been placed under investigation for failing to help a person in danger.