Kerala’s Inhuman ‘Sacrifice’: Did Delay in Police Action Cost One Woman Her Life?

The 50-year-old from Kalady in Ernakulam went missing in June. Her daughter had filed a missing person’s complaint with the Kalady Police station under the Ernakulam Rural police on August 27.

Originally from Alappuzha, the 50-year-old sold lottery tickets in Ernakulam for a living. Her daughter, who worked in Uttar Pradesh, realized something was amiss only in August. However, even after the complaint, the Ernakulam Rural police did little.

It was only after the Kadavanthara police got a similar complaint on September 27 that another lottery vendor – a 42-year-old – had gone missing a day ago that they swung into action. The police team led by ACP Jayakumar got a crucial lead in less than 24 hours.

On October 11, Bhagaval Singh, a local massage therapist and a “traditional healer”, his wife, Laila, 59, both natives of Pathanamthitta, and Rasheed alias Mohammed Shafi, who also introduced himself as a “traditional healer” to Singh, were arrested in connection with the murders. Shafi, the mastermind, is said to have suggested to Singh and Laila that eating cooked human body parts would “preserve youth”, sources said.

CRACKING THE SECOND CASE

The police found that the last tower location of the 42-year-old’s mobile phone was near Thiruvalla in Pathanamthitta, some 100 km south of Kochi. On questioning her friends, the police came to know that a man, Shafi, had invited them to go to Thiruvalla with him.