India: Kerala 'human sacrifice' case gets gory, cannibalism angle being probed

A police probe that was initiated to trace a missing woman, Padmam,in the southern Indian state of Kerala, has turnedextremely gory and murky. After having arrested three accused in the case, the police have learnt that two middle-aged women, Roslin and Padmam,were lured into a trap on the pretext of earning easy money and then killed brutally as part of 'human sacrifice' ritual. It is also suspected by the cops that one of the victim's mortal remains were cannibalised by the accused.

Inthe last week of September, police in Kerala's Kochi city received a complaint regarding a woman going missing. The complaint was filed by the kin of Padmam, a 52-year-old woman who sold lottery tickets in the city. Padmam had reportedly gone missing on September 26th.

Investigation revealed that Padmam had been in touch with Muhammad Shafi alias Rasheed, who was running an eatery. Shafi is said to have had a criminal record and was already facing serious charges of rape, attempted murder and theft among others. Based on CCTV evidence and call records, police came to know how Shafi got in touch with Padmam and lured her by offering her easy money and tookher with him in a car.

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Finally, police were led to a house in Kerala's Pathanamthitta district. This was the residence of Bhagwal Singh and his wife Laila. The duo was in financial trouble and Shafi had exploited their vulnerability. He is said to have won over their confidence and impressed upon them about 'human sacrifice' would end their troubles and bring prosperity. It was here that the trio carried out the gruesome murder (details of which are known, but are purposely being withheld in this report due to their excessive gory nature) of Padmam in late September.

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Further, the cops are also said to have understood that Roslin, another lottery vendor who went missing around June, had also suffered the same fate at the hands of the trio, around June 6th. Like Padmam, Roslin also made ends meet by selling lottery ticket in Kochi and is believed to have fallen prey to Shafi's approach and offer for easy money.

The mortal remains suspected to be of the two victims were exhumed from the residence of Bhagwal Singh and Laila, on Tuesday. The three accused were remanded to judicial custody till October 26thby a court in Kochi. The police are expected to seek their custody in the coming days.