Thiruvananthapuram, October 22 (BPNS)
The three accused persons in the Elanthoor human sacrifice case had suffered set back from the Kerala High Court as it dismissed their plea with the observation that, the gruesome murder of two women purportedly for human sacrifice, has shocked the people of Kerala.
The plea was against a magistrate court order that granted police custody of the accused for 12 days.
Meanwhile, Justice Kauser Edappagath, who considered the plea, permitted the accused to meet their lawyer for 15 minutes every alternate day. At the same time, the court reminded that the presence of the lawyer will not be permitted during the interrogation of the accused by the police.
The court during the hearing also found merit in the submission made by the prosecution that the accused persons cannot dictate in what manner an investigation has to be carried out.
It also observed that the Judicial First-Class Magistrate Court VIII, Ernakulam had passed the order granting police custody with great care and caution.
Earlier during the hearing, the counsel for the accused persons submitted before the court that the long period of custody is being sought to parade the petitioners before the public and the media.
To this, the state counsel said that the case has affected the conscience of society and due to that the investigation has to be carried out in different dimensions.
It was on October 11 that the dismembered bodies of two women were recovered from Thiruvalla. The two had fallen victim to human sacrifice for the economic prosperity of the second and third accused. The victims were identified as Rosily Varghese of Ashokapuram, Aluva, and Padmam.
According to Kochi City Police, it was a missing case that resulted in the uncovering of the murder cases.
Earlier, in the remand report, it was stated that it was Rosily Varghese who fell victim first. She was taken to the couple’s house at Elanthoor under the pretext of acting in a movie.
“There her hands and legs were tied to the bed in a room. A piece of cloth was inserted into her mouth which was also taped with plaster. She was stabbed by Shafi and her throat was slashed. Later, her private parts were cut and preserved. Her body was cut into pieces, then collected in a bucket and was dumped to a pit, which was dug in advance.”
In the case of the second victim, Padmam, she argued with the accused persons upon reaching the house at Elanthoor. Then she got strangled by a plastic rope and fell unconscious. Here also, Shafi inflicted injuries to her private parts and her throat was slit. Padmam was cut into 56 pieces, the accused collected it in a bucket, and dumped it into another pit.
In the case of Padmam her dismembered parts were collected from a single pit. But Rosily’s was collected from three separate pits.
The accused in the case were Mohamamd Shafi alias Rasheed, Bhagaval Singh and Laila.
ENDS
