Hyderabad:
Mohammad Shafi – the mastermind behind the “human sacrifice” case in Kerala – posed as a woman on social media and became friends with the accused, Bhagaval Singh. His account was called “Sreedevi,” where he used photos of flowers as his DP, police said. He later disguised himself as a holy man and offered to perform pujas and rituals to put the couple out of misfortune and guide them to financial prosperity, police sources said.
There is evidence of a physical relationship with Bhagaval Singh’s wife Laila, which was passed on as part of the rituals, police said. But this, an official added, needs to be proven independently and they are looking for “corroborating evidence”. There are reports that the accused couple’s lawyer has denied any possibility of cannibalism – another aspect police are investigating.
All three are accused of involvement in the murder of two women uncovered by police earlier this week.
Police say Laila Singh and Shafi each sexually abused, tortured and killed one of the two victims. Shafi, police say, is a psychopath and pervert who enjoys cruelty. He imprisoned the Singhs and brainwashed them with promises of riches after human sacrifices, police said.
During yesterday’s court hearing, police gave a sequence of events in the two murders. The horrific attacks on Rosalin and Padma took place three months apart – in June and September – but were eerily similar.
Both women were stabbed in the private parts, their throats slashed, their bodies hacked to pieces and buried. For Rosalin, the perpetrator is said to have been Laila Singh. According to reports, Shafi had tortured and killed the second woman, Padma. According to sources, Bhagaval Singh chopped off Rosalin’s breasts before the body was buried. Police are also investigating allegations of cannibalism by one of the defendants.
The sequence of events has so far mainly resulted from confessional statements.
Today the police received 12 days’ detention for further questioning and a thorough investigation. The court yesterday ordered the accused’s pre-trial detention. But police issued an arrest warrant today, claiming detailed questioning is needed to find out if there are other victims.
The Kerala court hearing the matter said widespread use of the internet and social media had also led to the spread of superstitions and regressive beliefs.
Regarding the human sacrifice case that has shocked the country, Justice Magistrate Eldos Mathew said in his order: “Although (although) the spirit of our Constitution is to encourage scientific temperament, modern scientific tools such as Facebook, mobile phones and YouTube are used for the.” Propagating our strange beliefs, superstitions, rituals, etc. When science and technology lead our society to advance and develop, such regressive acts push society back.”
