Pathanamthitta: The natives of Elanthoor are in a state of disbelief as the main accused in the human sacrifice case is Bhagval Singh, a popular medic in the area.

The local people said he belongs to a family of traditional massage therapists and they have never felt any foul play.

Neighbours said that several vehicles used to come to their house, but nobody smelt anything fishy as it was a renowned traditional massage centre. “People used to come in the morning and avail treatments for broken bones, bruises and injuries like that. After the morning appointments, Bhagval Singh would go out and return late in the day. We were stunned to see the news in the morning,” a villager told reporters.

The massage centre, where Bhagaval Singh and Laila lived, is in the 13th ward of Elanthoor Village Panchayat. They were known as 'Anjilimoottil Vaidyanmaar' (medics) in the area. The couple was very cordial with neighbours and other villagers.

Three arrested
On Tuesday, Kerala police nabbed Shafi, a resident of SRM Road in Kochi, Bhagval Singh and his wife Laila for the murder of two women, for black magic rituals.

Police said Shafi lured the women to Thiruvalla where, as part of the ritual, they were beheaded. The details came to light during an investigation to trace 52-year-old Padmam, who had gone missing since September 26. She was a lottery ticket seller.

Her son, Selvaraj, alerted the police when he did not receive her phone calls for days on end. "My mother used to call me daily.

But when that stopped I panicked. I came to Kerala and searched. When I could not find her, I filed a missing person complaint with the police," he told Manorama News.

Padmam lived in Ponnurunni Panchavadi Colony. Selvaraj said she was a lottery seller.

Her dismembered body was found near Aranmula in the Pathanamthitta district, where the woman's mobile signal was last registered.

The remains of 50-year-old Rosly from Kaladi were also found during the search. Also a lottery ticket seller, Rosly had gone missing six months ago. A few of the body parts were found from Elanthoor too on Tuesday, while the police collected evidence with the accused. The body parts were buried close to trees under the accused's house at Elanthoor.

Currently, the evidence collection in the case is in progress.