Thiruvananthapuram: A Kerala couple involved in the ‘human sacrifice’ case has made shocking revelations during police questioning.
Bhagval Singh, a massage therapist and healer, and his wife Laila, told police that they consumed the flesh of two women after murdering them in in Kerala’s Elanthoor, in Pathanamthitta district.
Bhagawal Singh, a former CPM branch committee secretary, is currently local committee member of the party in Elanthoor.
The female victims have been identified as 49-year-old Roselyn of Thrissur and 52-year-old Padma from Tamil Nadu. They were tied up and tortured before being strangled.
According to police, the women’s breasts were chopped off and the blood was allowed to flow out.
One of the bodies was cut into 56 pieces, and some body parts were discovered in three pits.
It was Muhammad Shafi, the main accused, who had lured the two women to Bhagaval’s house. Shafi has been out on bail in a 2020 sexual assault case.
Shafi allegedly advised Bhagaval and his wife to carry out a ‘human sacrifice’ which would help end their financial troubles and become wealthy, police said.
While Roselin disappeared in June, Padma went missing in September. Police later confirmed that they were murdered on June 6 and September 26, respectively.
It was when they were investigating disappearance of Padma that they discovered the killings.
The deceased women’s phones were traced to Shafi, who was tracked down through CCTV footage and a car he had abandoned. Enquiries led police to Bhagaval’s house, and after persistent questioning, he and his wife ultimately confessed to their crime recently.
Forensic examinations and evidence collection are still continuing.
The couple, being questioned at Kadavanthara police station, will be produced in the Magistrate’s court.
