A body has been exhumed by the police in the suspected human sacrifice case in Kerala. According to the police, the body was found near the house of the couple in Pathanamthitta for whom the alleged sacrifice was conducted, on Tuesday, October 11. The crime came to light when the police were probing two separate cases of missing women in Ernakulam.
The police have arrested Mohammed Shafi alias Rashid, a man from Ernakulam for the abduction and murder of the two women. The couple – Bhagaval Singh and his wife Laila – have been taken into police custody. Their arrests are yet to be recorded.
The police have exhumed the body parts of one of the missing women. The body, believed to be that of Padmam, was found chopped into pieces. It was buried in a vacant plot that belonged to the couple’s relatives. Neighbours also reportedly told the police that they saw Shafi entering the couple’s house multiple times in the past couple of months.
According to the police, the two women – Padmam and Rosily– were selling lottery tickets in Ernakulam, and went missing three months apart. Rosily (49) sold lottery tickets in Kalady and went missing in June, following which her daughter, who lives in Uttar Pradesh, filed a missing person complaint on August 17. Padmam, who hails from Tamil Nadu’s Dharmapuri, sold lottery tickets at the South Railway Station in Ernakulam, went missing in September.
The police cracked the case after they found CCTV footage of Padmam walking with Shafi. Shafi allegedly confessed to the abduction and murder of the two women. He had allegedly offered both Padmam and Rosily a part in a video in return for Rs 10 lakh. He also allegedly confessed he carried out the human sacrifice as part of a ritual for prosperity, commissioned by the couple.
Based on his confession, the police questioned the couple Bhagaval Singh, a traditional healer, and his wife Laila, who also allegedly confessed to the crime.
Kochi City Police Commissioner Nagaraju Chakilam told TNM that Shafi created a fake social media profile in the name of Sreedevi and contacted Bhagaval Singh. Over time, he convinced them that a tantric could ensure his prosperity and suggested human sacrifice. Shafi then lured the women with the promise of Rs 10 lakh to act in a video.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan condemned the killing of two women in Elanthoor, saying that it was an incident that shocked the conscience of the people. “Only someone with a sick mind indulges in such cruel acts,” he said. Such malpractices and witchcraft could only be seen as a challenge to modern society, the CM said.