A special investigation team (SIT) was formed by Kerala Police on Wednesday to probe the murder of two women in a suspected case of human sacrifice at a house near Elanthoor in Pathanamthitta district, PTI reported. The team will be headed by S Sasidharan, Deputy Commissioner (Law and Order), Kochi City.
The special team also has Perumbavoor ACP Anooj Paliwal. The DGP's office said the special team would be directly under the ADGP in-charge of law and order.
Three people -- Bhagaval Singh, his wife Laila and Muhammad Shafi -- have been arrested. Bhagaval Singh is a traditional massage therapist and healer. Singh and Laila are natives of Thiruvalla.
Muhammand Shafi, a Perumbavoor native, is suspected to have lured and brought the victims to the house of the couple.
The women were allegedly sacrificed as part of black magic. On Wednesday, a court sent the accused to judicial custody for three weeks.
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The women had gone missing in September and June this year following which a probe was launched by police. The human sacrifice saga was unravelled after police reached the home of the couple based on the mobile phone details and tower locations of the victims.
Addressing the media, Kochi City Police Commissioner CH Nagaraju said the murders took place over four months and were suspected to be part of a ritual done for "financial benefits".
The victims, said to be in their near 50s and who sold lottery tickets in Cochin, were lured with the promise of money and were allegedly beheaded before chopping their bodies into 56 pieces.
The police also said there is a possibility that the accused cooked and ate parts of body after killing the victims. Police say the accused "severely tortured" the victims before killing them. The women were reportedly tied and their breasts were chopped off with a knife.
The chopped body parts of the deceased were exhumed from the premises of the couple's house at Elanthoor village.
Expressing shock over the killings, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said only those with a sick mindset could commit such crimes. The CM also urged everyone in society to come forward to identify such evil practices and bring them to public notice.
(With PTI inputs)