The special investigation team (SIT) investigating Kerala’s Elanthoor human sacrifice case is scrutinising accused Mohammed Shafi’s financial dealings to see if more people are involved in the horrific murders.
The SIT is also collecting information about Shafi’s pledge of 36 grams of gold. Investigation suggests that the jewellery he pledged in a financial firm near his rented house in Gandhi Nagar, Kochi, belonged to victim Padmam, the lottery seller sacrificed on September 26 by Shafi and couple Bhagaval Singh and Laila. Shafi’s wife Nabeesa told the SIT that Shafi had given her Rs 40,000 from the money he received for pledging the ornaments.
On Friday, the SIT searched Shafi’s rented house for nearly six hours and recovered papers from vehicles he owns as well as other documents. They also collected evidence at his home and the restaurant he ran in the city in order to recover the ornaments.
According to the police, Shafi collected Rs 1.1 lakh from the firm by falsely claiming that a woman from Tamil Nadu had lent him the gold to help with his financial problems. Padmam was from Dharmapuri, Tamil Nadu.
Shafi had pledged gold ornaments allegedly belonging to the deceased in several Kochi firms. They stated that they are looking for Shafi’s SUV, in which he moved the victims from Kochi to Elanthoor, NewIndianExpress reported.
The SIT is also finding out if the main accused Shafi received help from a fourth party in carrying out the heinous crime. Other than Shafi, Bhagaval Singh and his wife Laila was arrested by Kochi city police for kidnapping and murdering two women (Padmam and Roselyn) as a part of the black magic ritual for financial gains.
Shafi created a fake profile on social media with the fake name Sreedevi to approach Bhagaval Singh. Shafi developed a friendship with the couple and somehow convinced the couple to perform human sacrifice.
Notably, the police have requested the court that it needs to be investigated whether Shafi received assistance from someone else. The investigation discovered his suspicious presence in places like Kochi, Kottayam, and Malayatoor besides Pathanamthitta in recent times.
On Thursday, police informed the court that Shafi had travelled across the state and brought several people to the accused couple’s house at Elanthoor before carrying out the horrifying human sacrifices. Thus, it is important to record statements from these people.
Police also asserted that the statements of those including some people from the film industry who stayed at the couple’s house for Ayurvedic treatment also needed to be collected. The police submitted that it is important to examine whether missing cases involving women in various parts of the state had any link with the accused.
Notably, the Ernakulam Judicial First-Class Magistrate Court accepted the arguments of the investigation team. The court has granted police custody of all three accused until October 24.
As per the court orders to conduct a medical examination of all the accused every three days and submit the reports, the accused were taken to the Ernakulam General Hospital and after conducting their medical examination, they were taken to the Police Club at Kadavantra.
Kerala Human sacrifice case
The Kerala police unearthed disturbing details in the case of human sacrifice and black magic to bring prosperity and wealth to a family in the state. Three accused were arrested by Kochi city police for kidnapping and killing two women as part of black magic rituals. Mohammed Shafi (agent), Bhagaval Singh, and his wife Laila have been identified as the three accused. Now shocking details of the horrifying crime have surfaced.
One of the victims, Roselyn Varghese, was lured by the accused Mohammed Shafi to the accused couple’s house in Pathanamthitta to act in a porn film and was reportedly offered Rs 10 lakh. Upon reaching the couple’s house, Roselyn was tied to the bed by the couple saying that it was part of the porn film shoot. Then Shafi smashed the victim’s head, inserted a knife her into her private parts, and minutes later slit the throat of the victim, who died on the spot, according to the report by the Kerala Police.
As per an India Today report, the victim’s breasts were chopped off and were kept out of the “ritual”. The victim’s blood was spilled everywhere. Later, all three accused cut the body of the victim into pieces, and buried it in multiple pits near the accused couple’s house.
Padmam, another victim was brutalized in a similar manner. Padmam was reported missing on September 26. She was lured by Shafi into acting in a porn film and was promised Rs 15,000 in return. According to the police, CCTV footage shows Padmam leaving in a car with Shafi on the same day.
An argument broke out between the victim and Shafi upon reaching the house. Shafi choked the victim using a plastic rope around her neck and after shifting her to another room as she fell unconscious, Shafi inserted a knife in the victim’s private parts and slit her throat. Later, the accused chopped her body into 56 pieces and buried it in pits.
Notably, accused Laila has confessed to cooking and eating the flesh of the victims as they were told by Shafi that doing so will help them “preserve their youth.”
