Kochi: The police on Friday raided the house of Shafi, the main accused in the Elanthoor human sacrifices case. His wife Nabisa was also questioned.
Shafi and two others - Bhagval Singh and his wife Laila - are accused of murdering two women for a black magic ritual. The case came to light during an investigation to trace one of the two women.
As per police, Bhagval and Laila had sought the services of Shafi - a black magic practitioner - to perform a ritual for economic prosperity. Shafi, who convinced the couple that human sacrifices were the only solution, used the couple's money to lure women from disadvantaged backgrounds.
It was learned during the investigation that Shafi created a fake Facebook profile by the name of 'Sridevi' to snare Bhagval and Laila. He used his wife's phone for this. Since every piece of evidence is key to build the case up, police have ramped up efforts to find this phone.
A couple of days ago, police gained access to Shafi's Facebook account. But it is unclear as to how Shafi, who has only cleared high school education, managed to find his way around social media and snare his victims over a long time. It is now suspected that he likely got help from another, but this has not been verified yet.
Nabisa's statements and her phone records are therefore crucial in the case, police sources said.
Police are also trying to find the money Shafi received from pawning the gold that belonged to the two murdered women. Four and a half sovereigns of gold were pawned at a shop in Gandhinagar for which Shafi received Rs 11,000. Police will also question the staff of this shop. Raid will also be done at Shafi's establishment on Chittoor road.
