Elanthoor murders: police suspect Shafi has more victims despite lack of ‘clinching evidence’

Even as the custodial interrogation of the three accused in the suspected human sacrifice at Elanthoor nears completion, the police, despite being confident of the interrogation and the wealth of evidence they have gathered, remain disappointed that they could not yet find the valuables linked to one of the victims during evidence collection on Wednesday.

The police had taken Muhammed Shafi aka Rasheed, the prime accused, to Changanassery in pursuit of an anklet and mobile phone belonging to Padmam, the victim who had gone missing from Kadavanthra here. Though he claimed to have dumped those valuables in the Alappuzha-Changanassery Canal after her murder, the police could not trace them despite been assisted by a team of divers with the latest equipment.

While the police claimed that finding them was not critical, they admitted that it would have definitely helped further substantiate their findings. They could only find a bag belonging to Rosli, the other victim who had gone missing from Kalady.

Meanwhile, Shafi continues to be defiant and non-cooperative during the interrogation. While the police have not received any ‘clinching evidence’ about more victims who might have fallen to Shafi’s sexual perversion, they have not ruled it out either. “I suspect strongly that he is perverse enough to be a regular cannibal,” said a senior officer associated with the probe.

Though Shafi claims that he had destroyed his wife’s mobile phone using which he had been active on social media using a fake id, the police could not yet confirm it.

While the police custody period of the accused is nearing completion, the accused may still be taken for evidence collection to more places if the interrogation so warrants.

Since the court had given the police their custody, the police had taken the accused for evidence collection to several places. All three were taken to the house at Elanthoor belonging to Bhagaval Singh and wife Laila, the first and the second accused, last Saturday. The police had then recreated the scene using a woman’s effigy. On Wednesday, Singh and wife were again taken to their house.