A sexual pervert, psychopath and serial offender: The mastermind of Kerala ‘human sacrifice’ case

It’s a plot more heinous than any crime writer can ever imagine. The Kerala “human sacrifice” case continues to unravel. There were killings, mutilations, cannibalism, and “black magic” in Elanthoor, a sleepy village in Kerala’s Pathanamthitta district. The mastermind behind it was 52-year-old Muhammad Shafi alias Rasheed. He is now being arrested along with the co-accused couple Bhagaval Singh and Laila.

Also read: Kerala ‘human sacrifice’, a ‘brain eater’ and other horrors of ‘cannibalism’ in India

The trap

Shafi, who claimed to be an “occult practitioner”, lured Singh, a traditional healer, and his wife Laila through an anonymous Facebook post which invited those “interested in a prosperous life”. Soon, Singh got a friend request from a person named “Sreedevi” who convinced the healer to help the help of Shafi to gain wealth.

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“Sreedevi” was none other than Shafi. Soon he became a regular visitor at the household and they formed a bond. It all started when Shafi convinced the couple that he needed to have sex with Laila in the presence of Singh in their house. According to the police, Singh watched with folded hands as Shafi had sex with his wife, reports News18.

Using social media, Shafi got in touch with the victims – the two women, Roslyn, 49, and Padmam, 52. Lottery vendors, he promised them money to act in pornographic videos.

The first victim was killed by the trio on 8 June as part of a “sacrifice”. Two months later, Shafi convinced the couple that “the goddess” was still not pleased and another “sacrifice” needed to be made. The second woman was allegedly killed by the trio on 26 September.

Mutilation and cannibalism

According to reports, Roslyn was strangled allegedly by Laila and her breasts were cut off. Padmam was strangled and beheaded; her body was cut into 56 pieces by Shafi, the police said. The remains were kept in a bucket, according to a report by NDTV.

Laila has reportedly confessed that she and her husband cooked and consumed the flesh of the victims. They were told by Shafi that this would help them “preserve their youth”.

Muhammad Shafi, who has now been arrested, is said to be sadistic. PTI

According to CH Nagaraju, the police commissioner of Kochi, the accused would first kill, mutilate, cut the bodies of the victims into pieces, dismember and then bury them.

“Shafi convinced the other two accused (Singh and Laila) that the first sacrifice did not lead to much improvement in their financial condition... There were some ‘ritualistic problems’ in the first incident, so they have to do another one,” he said, according to NDTV.

A psychopath, sexual pervert

The police chief said that it was a case of “human sacrifice” and whether there was cannibalism involved has not yet been proved.

The investigators believe that the sight of blood rushing out of the wounds of victims would excite Shafi. “It has now been proven that he (Shafi) is a psychopath and a sexual pervert. He derives sexual pleasure from his actions and will go to any extent, even kill for it,” the commissioner said, adding that he is a sadist with a mindset to cause injury, harm, and death. “He will make up a story to harm anyone.”

Kerala Police is now investigating the missing persons cases in Ernakulam and Pathanamthitta districts in the past five years to see if “others fell into Shafi’s trap”. In Ernakulam city limits, there have been 14 missing cases in the past five years, sources told News18.

A serial offender

It is not Shafi’s first crime though it is probably the most gruesome one yet. In 2020, he raped a 75-year-old woman and made wounds in her private parts. According to the police, the victims of the “human sacrifice” case were also mutilated similarly.

Back then, Shafi had a relationship with a woman in the Puthencruz area in Kochi. He would frequently visit her. He attacked the 75-year-old woman, dragged her into the house of the other woman and raped her. The latter helped in the crime.

The Puthencruz police in Kochi registered the first information report on 3 August 2020 and filed the charge sheet on October 17. He was arrested by the police and was released on bail in February 2021.

According to the police, Shafi also has cases of theft registered against him. He runs a hotel in Kochi, where he would find his victims, often targeting hapless women who were estranged from their families or had little contact with them.

Doing odd jobs

A Class 6 dropout, Shafi sometimes took up odd jobs as a driver or mechanic. He is married to Nabeesa and is the father of two and a grandfather to a three-year-old girl, reports News18.

According to his wife, Shafi is an alcoholic, which is the cause of his problems. He would not give any money at home and would make trouble. He used to use her cellphone and Facebook account.

With inputs from agencies

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