Kerala ‘human sacrifice’: Women tortured, bodies cut into 56 pieces, says remand report
Prime accused was a serial offender and sexual pervert; victims suffered unimaginable cruelty before death, say police
The allegation of human sacrifice in the Elanthur double-murder case was shocking enough. Now, it has emerged that the crimes may have involved much more than that. The remand report of the three accused submitted by the police suggests that the two middle-aged victims, Padma and Rosli Varghese, suffered unimaginable cruelty before death.
The investigation is still in the infant stage, and the ghastly details of the double murders are mostly based on the confessions made by the accused, the police say. However, the revelations may only be the tip of the iceberg, because the prime accused, Mohammed Shafi alias Rasheed, is a habitual offender. Other criminal cases against him are pending in various police stations, and the charges include rape, physical abuse, and theft.
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The investigation of a missing complaint led police to these cold-blooded murders. On September 27, Palaniyamma (42), a native of Dharmapuri district in Tamil Nadu, walked into Kochi’s Kadavanthra Police Station to complain that her sister, Padma, had gone missing. Padma, 52, lived at Kochi’s Elamkulam and sold lottery tickets to earn a living. She went out as usual to sell tickets on September 26 and never came back.
“Shafi was a tough nut to crack”
While investigating the case, the police found out from CCTV footage that Padma had got into a white Scorpio around 10.15 am on September 26 from Chittur Road, Ernakulam. A search for the Scorpio led them to Shafi. Further investigation revealed that Shafi had taken Padma to Elanthur in Pathanamthitta, to the house of Bhagaval Singh and Laila, the couple who are the co-accused in the case.
However, it was not easy to get the couple’s details from Shafi. Kochi City Police Commissioner C Nagaraju explained to the media that being a habitual offender, Shafi was a tough nut to crack. “He evaded the questions and presented multiple stories. We examined the tower locations of the phones he used. That’s how we reached the couple’s house. Shafi broke only after he realised that he had no other way,” said Nagaraju.
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After further investigation, the police realised that the number of victims was not one but two. They found out that Rosli Verghese (49), who was reported missing on June 6 from Kalady in Ernakulam, was the trio’s first victim. Shafi, Singh, and Laila allegedly brutally murdered the two women as human sacrifice, apparently for the couple to achieve wealth and prosperity.
“Brutal, slow death”
According to the remand report, of which The Federal has a copy, Rosli and Padma were subjected to a brutal, slow murder. “Padma was choked, carried to a room, and tied to a bed. Later, the first accused, Mohammad Shafi, stabbed her in the private parts. Later, he slit her throat to kill her. The body was chopped into 56 pieces and buried in the compound of Bhagaval Singh and Laila’s house,” states the remand report.
Rosli was allegedly killed in the same manner in June 2022. Shafi allegedly took her to Singh’s house after luring her with ₹10 lakh for acting in an adult movie. According to the remand report, she was also tied to the bed on the pretext of the film’s shooting. She was also allegedly stabbed in the private parts while she was conscious. Later, her throat was slit, just like Padma’s.
The remand report added that the accused took pieces of her breast and stored those separately. Her body was also allegedly chopped into pieces and buried.
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Cops fear more victims
Nagaraju explained that Shafi was a serial offender and a sexual pervert. He was previously accused in a rape case where the victim was a 70-year-old woman. He later got bail in that case. “He studied up to the sixth standard but used to do all kinds of work and travel anywhere in the state,” he added.
The post-mortem and DNA tests of the body parts are yet to be completed. The police do not rule out the chances of the accused trapping more victims in the past. The investigation is focusing on all aspects.
