Kerala human sacrifice case: Prime accused labelled a 'psychopath & pervert'
Darpan News Desk IANS, 12 Oct, 2022 11:03 AM
Kochi, Oct 12 (IANS) The Kerala Police probing the suspected human sacrifice case in Pathanamthitta district who arrested three persons in connection with the death of two women, has identified the prime accused Mohammed Shafi as a "psychopath" and a "pervert".
The couple which committed the heinous act have been identified as Bhagaval Singh and his wife Laila, who used to run a massage centre near Aranmula in Pathanamthitta district at their house Shafi brought the two women to the couple's home in June and September, and they were brutally murdered by the couple.
Shafi has been named as the prime accused along with Singh and Laila.
Addressing the media in Kochi after the accused trio were produced before the city court which sent them to two weeks judicial custody, Kochi Police Commissioner C.H. Nagaraju said Shafi is a history-sheeter and is involved in a dozen cases registered against him in the past 15 years.
"Shafi has studied only up to Class 6 and did all menial jobs right from a driver to a mechanic to the one who runs a hotel. A rape case has been registered against him in the past when he raped a 75-year-old woman and also used a knife to make wounds in the private parts. We have found out that the same places were injured in the two women who were murdered apparently as a human sacrifice," Nagaraju added.
"It has now been proved that he (Shafi) is a psychopath and a sexual pervert, and the one who derives sexual pleasure and will go to any extent even to kill for it. He has been using a fake Facebook account and it says that if anyone has financial problems to contact him. That's how he befriended Singh and it took three years for him to win their confidence and trap them and the crime took place," the Commissioner said.
Responding to questions after reports emerged that the couple after murdering the two women as part of black magic had cooked and eaten their body parts, Nagaraju said for this to be proved there has to be a proper scientific examination as at the moment there is no evidence of it.
He added that the police have now constituted a special team and will seek the custody of the accused to ensure that the probe is completed.
The Chief Minister said the government is fully sensitive towards checking cross-border infiltration in Punjab. He said Punjab Police is constantly in touch with the Border Security Force (BSF) and other agencies for this purpose.
While briefing the officers, the DGP said the topmost priority of the government, as directed by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, is to further strengthen the fight against drugs to make Punjab a drug-free state, besides eliminating the gangster culture, maintaining law and order, and detection of crime.
Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur announced Rs 5 lakh to the next of the kin of the deceased, whereas Rs 15,000 as immediate relief for the injured. He said free treatment would be provided to the injured.
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Monday carried out his first Cabinet expansion by inducting five legislators, including second-time MLA Aman Arora, into his council of ministers. The expansion came in less than four months of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) sweeping to victory in the Assembly elections by winning 92 seats of the 117 seats.
The police have so far managed to nab four of the accused, including one woman, who have been identified as Gurjant Singh (31), Navjot Singh (30), Satpal Singh (28) and Gurpreet Kaur (30).
The ambidextrous sharpshooter, identified as Ankit alias Chhota, a resident of Sonipat in Haryana, was most desperate to commit the crime."He fired simultaneously from two pistols in his two hands," H.G.S. Dhaliwal, Special Commissioner (Special Cell), said during a media briefing.
