Two women were allegedly sacrificed as part of black magic in a village in Pathanamthitta district of Kerala and three people, including a couple were arrested in this connection, police said in Kochi on Tuesday.
The two women, who had earned their daily bread selling lottery tickets on the streets in Kochi, were allegedly sacrificed by the accused to settle the financial issues of the couple and bring prosperity in their life, they said.
The chopped body parts of the deceased were exhumed from the premises of the couple's house at Elanthoor village in Pathanamthitta later in the day.
Expressing shock over the killings, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said, "Only those with a sick mindset could commit such crimes. Black magic and witchcraft rituals could only be seen as a challenge to civilised society."
According to police, the victims, said to be in their near 50s, were natives of Kadavanthara in Kochi and Kalady nearby.
The women had gone missing in September and June this year and the eventual probe, based on their mobile phone details and tower locations, unravelled the story of human sacrifice.
The first woman, who had gone missing, was Kalady native, living there with her partner for some time and a missing complaint was filed by her daughter on August 17.
The other woman, originally from Dharmapuri in Tamil Nadu, went missing on August 17, as per the complaint of her sister.
The body parts of the victims were cut into pieces before being buried in two locations at Elanthoor, police said, quoting the confession by the accused.
Those arrested were identified as Bhagaval Singh, reportedly a traditional massage therapist and healer, his wife Laila.
They both were natives of Thiruvalla.
Also, Rasheed alias Muhammand Shafi, a Perumbavoor native, who was suspected to have lured and brought the now-deceased women to the house of the couple where the sacrifice was said to have been done.
"During our investigation regarding the missing woman from Kadavanthara, we came to know that she was killed in that couple's house in Thiruvalla and her body was buried after being cut into pieces there. It was a human sacrifice for financial benefit of that couple," Kochi City Police Commissioner Nagaraju Chakilam told PTI.
On further interrogation, it was also found that this was not the lone case, but another woman was also allegedly sacrificed, in the same house in June.
"It was also at the same house...by the same couple...and the woman was brought by the same person. The third person had not only played an agent role (in both these cases) but was also instrumental in getting this done.
"He convinced the couple that this should be done," he said, adding that the bodies were not in one shape as they had been made into pieces and buried.
Further details can be divulged after exhumation and inquest, said IG (south zone) P Prakash.
"Prima facie, it was a case of murder for financial gains through black magic and human sacrifice.
"The police will look into all aspects and details," he added.
Both the women, economically disadvantaged, were reportedly lured by Rasheed under the pretext of acting in porn films and promising to pay them a hefty amount as remuneration.
But, police are yet to confirm this.
When contacted, a senior police officer said how the victims were brought to Singh's village house by Rasheed was another story.
"This case has several aspects and dimensions to be probed. How they were brought to the crime scene has a slight immoral angle," he told PTI without going into further details.
A police team later brought the accused to the suspected crime scene at Elanthoor with the faces covered to collect evidence.
Shocked neighbours said it was truly hard for them to believe that Singh and his wife were involved in such crimes.
"He belonged to a traditional vaidyar (healer) family and had a good reputation so far. He was very active in the socio-cultural arena also. We do not know how he and his family got involved in such a heinous crime," a neighbour told a TV channel.
Meanwhile, Vijayan said the police have made it clear that the murders were executed as part of superstition.
"Vigilant investigation of a missing case by the police has led to the unfolding of the twin murder," he said adding that abducting and killing people for wealth and superstitious beliefs is a crime, which is beyond imagination in Kerala.
Noting that police would take stringent measures against the guilty, the CM also urged everyone in society to come forward to identify such evil practices and bring them to public notice.
However, the alleged connections of Singh, one of the accused, with the ruling Communist Party of India-Marxist, triggered a political row as the opposition Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party used the incident as a tool to attack the Left government.
Without directly mentioning media reports that Singh was a local activist of the ruling CPI-M, Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly, V D Satheesan said it was significant that one of the killers was an active worker of a political party, which claims to be progressive.
"Therefore, an honest and fair investigation should be ensured without any external interference," the Congress leader added.
BJP State chief K Surendran alleged that one of the killers was a CPI-M activist and there was also the intervention of radical religious groups in the crime.
"The accused is said to have held significant posts in the Marxisty party in the area. As per the local information, he is currently holding the charge of the party's 'karshaka sangham.' You can also see his Facebook posts praising Chief Minister Vijayan and Health Minister Veena George during their poll victories," he claimed.
Describing the incident as a 'heinous crime', senior BJP leader and Union Minister V Muraleedharan asked if this the Kerala Pinarayi Vijayan is boasting of?
'A heinous crime in the name of Black Magic. Is this the Kerala @pinarayivijayan boasting of No 1? Shame! This incident is a black spot on the reformed Kerala society. Such practices are condemnable & perpetrators must be Brought to Justice immediately,' the minister tweeted.
National and state women's commissions strongly condemned the alleged black magic murder and sought stringent action against the accused.
Rekha Shamra, Chairperson of National Commission for Women, sought a detailed action-taken-report from state Director General of Police Anil Kant within a week.
Meanwhile, Kerala State Human Rights Commission registered a case on its own into the shocking incident based on the media reports.
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