Team News Riveting
Kochi, October 13
Of the three accused apprehended in the sensational Elanthoor human sacrifice case in Kerala, two are active members of ruling Communist Party of India (Marxist).
The accused have been identified as Muhammed Shafi (alias Rashid), Bhagaval Singh and Laila Bhagawal Singh. Bhagaval was the branch secretary of the CPI (M). He is presently party’s local committee member and the Panchayat Committee President of CPI (M) affiliated Kerala State Karshaka Thozhilali Union. His wife is also associated with party and has been active in demonstrations and other party programme.
The police arrested Rashid for allegedly arranging the abduction and committing the sacrificial murder. The other accused, married couple Bhagaval Singh and Laila, were also taken into custody for suspicion of having commissioned and taken part in the sacrificial murder.
The police allegations stated that Shafi had lured the two women under the pretext of offering them lumpsums in cash for doing sex work and acting in some porn films. Shafi had allegedly contacted the Singhs on social media and a plan to commit human sacrifice, supposedly for financial prosperity was hatched.
The women were then taken to the Singh’s home in Pawhere they were allegedly murdered in a gruesome manner, dismembered and buried in the yard of the house.
The laxity of the police had come to the fore in dealing with the investigation. On Tuesday, the Judicial First Class Magistrate Eldose Mathew had remanded them to 14 days judicial custody as the police did not sought remand even as the investigation was not yet completed. The police later moved the application.
An Ernakulam court on Thursday remanded the three prime-accused in the human sacrifice case to police custody for 12 days. The police have set up a special investigation team (SIT) to probe the incident.
