Kerala human sacrifice case accused arrested after heroin found concealed in mundu at court

Kochi: Mohammed Shafi, the main accused in the Elanthoor human sacrifice case, was arrested on Tuesday after 6 grams of heroin was allegedly found hidden in his mundu at a court complex in Kochi.

Shafi was arrested under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act after the suspected drug was found while he was being taken back to jail following a court hearing.

The trial in the 2022 human sacrifice case is currently under way at the Ernakulam Additional District and Sessions Court in Panampilly Nagar.

Heroin found during search

The incident happened after Shafi appeared before the court for the trial in the Elanthoor case. When police were taking him back to jail, they noticed that he was holding the folded portion of his mundu in an unusual manner.

A detailed search found two small plastic bottles hidden inside the mundu. Police said the bottles contained about 6 grams of heroin.

The court was immediately informed about the recovery. On the judge's direction, the Ernakulam Town South police were alerted.

Police completed the body search at around 7.35pm and formally arrested Shafi under the NDPS Act at around 10pm on Tuesday. He was later taken back to jail.

Police check how drug reached Shafi

Police suspect that two people handed the heroin to Shafi when he went to the toilet during the court proceedings.

Investigators are examining CCTV footage from the court premises to determine what happened. They are also checking the movements of people who were in the area.

The drug recovery came as the trial of the Elanthoor human sacrifice case was progressing before the Ernakulam Additional Sessions Court.

What is the Elanthoor case?

The case relates to the alleged murders of two women, Padma and Rosily, in 2022. According to the prosecution, the women were killed as part of occult rituals.

Padma, a lottery seller who was living in Kadavanthra, was allegedly lured into Shafi's vehicle and taken to Elanthoor.

The prosecution alleges that Shafi then took her to the house of Bhagaval Singh, an Ayurvedic practitioner, and his wife Laila. Padma was allegedly murdered there and her body cut into pieces before being buried on Singh's property.

Rosily, a native of Vadakkanchery, was also allegedly taken to the same house and murdered. Her skeletal remains were later recovered.

The identities of the two women were established through DNA testing. 

Three accused face trial

The three accused in the case are Shafi, Bhagaval Singh and his wife Laila.

Shafi is a native of Vengola in Perumbavoor. The prosecution has charged the accused with murder, rape, conspiracy, abduction, destruction of evidence, theft and showing disrespect to human remains.

The three were arrested on October 11, 2022, following the alleged double murder.

The present trial is focused on the alleged murder of Rosily.