'Not first case of 'black magic' another incident was in June'

KOCHI: The Kochi City Police Commissioner CH Nagaraju on Kerala's 'human Sacrifice' case on Wednesday said that the three people together conducted a 'human sacrifice' ritual and killed the woman. Two women were "brutally" murdered allegedly as a human sacrifice in black magic rituals in Kerala's Pathanamthitta within 24 hours after they went missing, a police official said.

CH Nagaraju further revealed that they had registered a missing person case of a 52-year-old female lottery ticket seller on September 26 and on further investigation it was found that the woman was cheated, abducted and taken to Pathanamthitta district.

"In Kochi, we registered a missing person case of a 52-year-old female lottery ticket seller on Sept 26. Our probe revealed that she was cheated, abducted, taken to Pathanamthitta dist & killed there", said CH Nagaraju.

On further probe, it was found that Shafi from Ernakulam cheated her and promised some financial help. Shafi took her to the Pathanamthitta area and offered this lady as a human sacrifice to a couple- a 68-year-old man and his 59-year-old wife.

"Further probe revealed that a person called Shafi from Ernakulam cheated her and promised some financial help. Shafi took her to the Pathanamthitta area and offered this lady as a human sacrifice to a couple- a 68-year-old man & his 59-year-old wife", said Kochi City Police Commissioner CH Nagaraju.

The police recovered the body parts buried in the house's backyard and have been exhumed. The main conspirator Shafi, trapped the couple, Bhagaval Singh and Laila, into believing that they had to conduct a 'human sacrifice' ritual to improve their financial conditions, informed the Kochi City Police Commissioner.

Kochi City CP CH Nagaraju said, "Shafi is a sexual pervert; there were sadistic injuries found on the private parts of these women. In 2020, Shafi raped a 75-yr-old woman and inflicted grievous injuries on her private parts as well. This indicates sexual perversion & psychopathic behaviour".

It was later found that this was not the only case of 'human sacrifice', another incident happened in June 2022. Another 49-year-old lady, a lottery ticket seller, had been cheated similarly; given false financial promises, taken to the same couple, cut into pieces & buried at the same house, said CH Nagaraju.

Meanwhile, the Ernakulam magistrate court on Wednesday remanded all the three accused of killing two women allegedly as a human sacrifice in black magic rituals in Kerala's Pathanamthitta on judicial custody.

The accused will be under judicial remand for a 14-day duration which will end on October 26.

The accused were produced in the Ernakulam District Session Court today.

Union minister V Muraleedharan on Tuesday hit out at the Kerala government alleging a"delayed response" by the state police, and said that a member of the CPIM was involved in the incident.

"The delayed response of the Kerala Police smells foul & exposes that women are not secure in Kerala Is @pinarayivijayan Govt delaying it deliberately because of the involvement of a @CPIMKerala member? Disgusting that @CMOKerala remains mum when two women are brutally killed," the minister tweeted.