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Kerala human sacrifice: SIT to add sexual assault charges against accused
The SIT probing the alleged human sacrifice case in Kerala’s Pathanamthitta district has decided to add sexual assault charges against the accused and seek a fast-tracked trial, a senior officer aware of the matter said on Tuesday.
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the alleged human sacrifice case in Kerala’s Pathanamthitta district has decided to add sexual assault charges against the accused and seek a fast-tracked trial, a senior officer aware of the matter said on Tuesday.
The SIT has sought legal opinion in this regard and it will submit a charge sheet within 90 days to ensure maximum punishment to the three accused, identified as Mohammad Shafi alias Rasheed (52), and a therapist couple Bhagaval Singh (68) and his wife Laila (59), the officer added, requesting anonymity.
All three were arrested on October 11 in connection with the murder of two women, both in their 50s, at Elanthoor village as part of “ritualistic human sacrifice for financial prosperity”, police have said.
A potency test was carried out on Shafi and Singh, the SIT officer said. “We will also seek a special public prosecutor and a fast-track court,” he said. “We will ensure maximum punishment to the accused and we are working overtime to collect scientific evidences.”
The probe so far has indicated that the two women, both lottery ticket vendors in Kochi, were raped after they were tied to a cot before their killing “to get the full effect of sacrifice”, the officer said. “Both were tied to the cot on the pretext of acting in porn films.”
The accused will be charged with murder, rape, abduction, illegal confinement, cheating, robbery, and torture, he said, adding further investigation in the case was on.
Earlier, police had said that Shafi approached Singh and his wife through a fake Facebook account with profile name Sreedevi and convinced them to perform human sacrifice for wealth and prosperity. After that the two women were allegedly sacrificed at the residence of the couple at Elanthoor in two different instances since June this year.
A second officer said Shafi had a “plan B” to get rid of Singh and also hatched a conspiracy to grab his property. “Shafi convinced Laila to stay with him though she feared he will also kill her after her husband’s killing,” the officer said, also wishing not to be named. “Laila was closer to Shafi than Singh.”
Meanwhile, the Kerala police denied media reports that the organ trade mafia was involved in the case.
“If we look into the matter with common sense, organ transplantation cannot happen in such unhygienic or unsterilised conditions,” Kochi city police commissioner C Nagaraju was quoted as saying by PTI. “However, we are investigating all aspects. We have taken blood samples from everywhere inside the house.”
Separately, the Kerala government told the high court that it will come up with a tough law to check superstition, archaic practices, and black magic. It came a day after chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan said there needs to be a strong law against superstitions in the light of the double murder case.
The court was hearing a plea filed by the Kerala Yukthivadi Sangham, an outfit of rationalists, seeking ban of advertisements exploiting superstitions in media such as newspapers and social media.
“Prohibition of telefilms, serials and films on the theme of witchcraft and sorcery which are not intended for social good and have no artistic value,” the petition said. “There may be an order to ban witchcraft and sorcery.”
The court will take up the plea again after two weeks and has directed the government to file a detailed reply.
