Kerala human sacrifice: Prime accused may have used his mortuary experience to cut women’s bodies, says police

Last week, Shafi, 52, along with traditional healer-cum-masseur Bhagaval Singh, 68, and his wife Laial, 59, were arrested on charges of brutally killing two women Rosli, 49, and Padmam, 52, as part of a ritualistic human sacrifice to bring prosperity to the couple. The women were killed on different days between June and September this year.

Police had found that the bodies of women were chopped into many pieces at the house of Singh at Elanthoor in Pathanamthitta district as part of a ritual to appease Goddess. The body of Padmam was chopped into 56 pieces; looking at the method in which the bodies of the victims were chopped and separated into pieces, forensic surgeons had expressed doubts that only a person who is familiar with human anatomy can dissect the bodies in such a manner, they said. Subsequently, police probed into that aspect, leading to the disclosure of the key accused that he had worked as a helper at a mortuary.

Two days back, police had taken the accused to Elanthoor as part of evidence collection and recreating the scene of murders. They also inspected the premises of the house to ascertain whether more bodies were buried there.

Police had stated that it was Shafi, pretending as a black magic practitioner, had made the couple to believe that prosperity would usher in only with human sacrifice. A “sexually perverted” person, Shafi had a habit of torturing his victims and the brutal murders were part of his scheme to derive perverted pleasure.