Kerala human sacrifice case: Hints of sadistic pleasure in the way victims were mutilated

Gory details of the murder of two women in Elanthoor, Pathanamthitta as part of a "ritualistic human sacrifice" emerged on Wednesday as a magistrate court in Ernakulam remanded the three accused in judicial custody for 14 days.
The accused have been charged with criminal conspiracy, abduction, murder and destruction of evidence. The case will be investigated by a special team led by deputy commissioner (law and order), Kochi, S Sasidharan.
The remand report submitted by police named Muhammed Shafi alias Rasheed (52) as the main conspirator who planned and executed the murders and said Bhagaval Singh (68) and wife Laila (59) actively participated in the crimes. It said one of the victims, Padmam (52), was cut into 56 pieces by the accused while both the victims were tied, tortured, dismembered and killed.
The report said the accused also inflicted injuries in private parts of the victims who were lured to Singh's house on various offers. Rosly (49) was offered Rs 10 lakh for acting in a porn film while Padmam was promised Rs 15,000 for sexual services.
Kochi city police commissioner C H Nagaraju told reporters that Shafi was a psychopath and pervert who killed for sadistic pleasure. It is suspected that a 2020 case registered against Shafi for rape and torture of a 75-year-old woman was also of similar nature.
"Shafi is a criminal and has 10-odd cases, including rape, theft and attempt to murder, registered against him over the last decade... he exploited the vulnerabilities of Bhagaval Singh and Laila to win their confidence and commit the crime," he said.
On reports that the accused cooked and consumed the flesh of victims, police said they were looking for proof to corroborate them.
Special team to probe case, accused in judicial custody
A JFCM court in Ernakulam remanded Muhammed Shafi (52), Bhagaval Singh (68), his wife Laila (59) into judicial custody for 14 days on Wednesday for 'killing two women to attain financial prosperity'. Shafi is the first accused while Singh and Laila are the second and third accused. They were charged with criminal conspiracy, abduction, murder and destruction of evidence. Police are planning to get them in custody for 10 days.
A special team led by DCP S Sasidharan will probe the case. Police said a detailed investigation is needed to unearth more details and ascertain if other persons were involved in this case. Police are also checking if Shafi did similar crimes in the past.
The remand report submitted by Kadavanthra SHO contained gory details about the murder. The report said Shafi was the main conspirator who planned and killed Rosly (49) and Padmam (52) to 'appease a goddess for financial prosperity'. Police said Shafi lured the women to Singh's house in Elanthoor by offering money. Then the trio tied them down, tortured and killed on separate days.
The report said Laila beheaded Rosly and Shafi stabbed Padmam's chest and private parts. Padmam was brought to Singh's house in Shafi's car on Sept 26 around 4pm by offering Rs 15,000 for sex. When she asked for her money, the trio tried to strangulate her with a rope and she passed out. Shafi killed her later and they cut her body into 56 pieces for burial.
Rosly was brought to Singh's house in June for 'acting in a porn film' by offering Rs 10 lakh. The trio gagged her after tying her hands and legs on a cot. The report said she was tortured; Singh killed her and chopped her breasts.
Meanwhile, Shafi's wife defended her husband on Wednesday. "We have been married for 24 years and I'm not convinced that he is capable of committing a gruesome crime. He drinks a lot and beats me in an inebriated state. Drinking is his only problem and it might have led him to trouble," she said, refuting reports that Shafi was a rich man with many vehicles and a big house.
She said she knew Padmam and Rosly but never felt anything fishy about Shafi. She said Shafi was active on Facebook and he often used her phone. She denied reports that her phone was used to create the fake FB profile. She claimed that Shafi did not have a bank account.
Meanwhile, the autopsy of the mutilated bodies that began at Kottayam medical college on Wednesday will continue on Thursday. The team is examining 61 packets of body parts; it includes 56 recovered from one pit and five skeletal parts from the other. Samples for DNA test have to be taken from each part.