Kochi 'human sacrifice': 3 held for killing two women for black magic

KOCHI: Two missing women have been found murdered in Kerala in an alleged case of a gruesome human sacrifice.
The bodies of two women, who went missing from Kochi and Kalady, have been recovered by the police.
According to the preliminary investigation by Kochi police, a Perumbavoor-based "agent" conspired with a couple in Pathanamthitta to commit the murders as part of "rituals" to secure financial gains.
The murders were committed at different times inside the house of the couple in Pathanamthitta's Elanthoor.
The accused have been identified as Shafi alias Rashid of Perumbavoor and Bhagaval Singh and his wife Laila of Elanthoor.
According to the police, Shafi convinced the couple that the ritualistic murders will bring financial gains.
As per the statements of the accused, the bodies of the victims were buried at the couple’s house.
Police have begun the exhumation procedures.
The victims have been idenfitied as Padmam (52), a resident of Elamkulam in Kochi and Rosly (53), a resident of Kalady.
The women were taken to the couple's residence with a promise of financial benefits.