Kerala, black magic: three people accused of the human sacrifice of two women

The accused confessed to dismembering two female street vendors before burying them. The ritual was performed to bring money and prosperity. The victims may have been lured under the pretext of a fee for appearing in a pornographic film. The State Chief Minister: 'Only the mentally ill can commit such acts'.

Thiruvananthapuram (AsiaNews) - Two women in their fifties were killed in a human sacrifice to bring money and prosperity to a village in the Pathanamthitta district of the southern state of Kerala. Yesterday, police took three people suspected of involvement in the crime into custody.

The state's Chief Minister, Pinarayi Vijayan, stated that 'only the mentally ill can commit such crimes' and that 'black magic and witchcraft rituals can only be seen as a challenge to civilised society'.

The victims were originally from the villages of Kadavanthara and Kalady, and worked as street vendors selling lottery tickets. They were abducted on two separate occassions in June and September this year. The suspects confessed to cutting them up before burying them near Elanthoor village in Thiruvalla.

Kochi Police Commissioner Nagaraju Chakilam explained that the officers only discovered the first case, dating back to June, while they were conducting investigations into the second one.

Bhagaval Singh, a local masseur, his wife Laila, together with Rasheed Muhammand Shafi allegedly, in both cases, lured the women to the couple's house, where the human sacrifice was then performed.

"We discovered that it was the same house. The third person not only played an agent role, but was instrumental in convincing the couple to perform the ritual,' Chakilam added.

Further details will be released after the exhumation and investigation, said Inspector General Prakash. "At first glance it would appear to be a case of murder for profit through black magic. The police will look into all aspects and details."

According to some speculations, Rasheed Shafi approached the victims on the pretext of having them act in a pornographic film and with the promise of a large fee, but the police are still seeking confirmation of this.

The only thing that is certain is that the murders were carried out out of superstition. Premier Vijayan also urged citizens to identify these 'evil practices' and bring them 'to the knowledge of the public'.