Pervert used baseless fear of couple for human sacrifice: city police chief
Kochi (PTI): Mohammed Shafi, the prime accused in the human sacrifice case in which two women were allegedly murdered at a house at Elanthoor in Pathanamthitta District, is a pervert, according to Ernakulam City Commissioner of Police C Nagaraju.
The Commissioner on Wednesday said Shafi is a history-sheeter, used the irrational fear of the accused couple and created a pretext that human sacrifice would solve their financial issues.
Nagaraju said the missing case of one of the women, Padma from Elamkulam near here, resulted in identifying the horrific crimes.
The police official told reporters that Shafi was initially reluctant to cooperate with the police, but when confronted with evidence, including the statement of the accused couple, he broke down.
"All we had was a CCTV visual of a lady getting into a car with Shafi. Nothing else. A police team took the scientific route, traced them till the house at Elanthoor, questioned the couple and the whole incident unfolded," Nagaraju said.
He said Shafi has got many cases, including theft and rape, against him. "At least, 10 cases have been registered against him in the last 15 years. In one of the rape cases, a 75-year-old was raped and injured with a knife in various parts of her body. In this case of Elanthoor, the two victims were injured in private parts in a similar manner," Nagaraju said.
"Basically, he is a pervert and a sadist... causing injury, harm and death. He will make up any story, trap anyone..." the Commissioner said.
The senior police official said all the three accused have direct participation in both the murders but the accused couple did not have a history of crime.
The trio was produced before the Sessions Court today and were remanded in judicial custody. Police said they would seek custody for 14 days for further interrogation. On Tuesday, police arrested the trio.
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Trump’s fresh threat to bomb Iran amid reports of deal to end war
Washington (PTI): US President Donald Trump on Wednesday threatened Iran with more bombing if it doesn't reopen the Strait of Hormuz, amid a report that the warring sides were nearing an agreement to end the war.
US media outlet Axios reported, quoting US officials and two other sources, that the US and Iran were getting close to a one-page memorandum of understanding to end the war and set a framework for more detailed nuclear negotiations.
The US expects Iranian responses on several key points over the next 48 hours, Axios reported, adding that nothing has been agreed yet. This was the closest the parties had been to an agreement since the war began.
"Assuming Iran agrees to give what has been agreed to, which is, perhaps, a big assumption, the already legendary Epic Fury will be at an end, and the highly effective Blockade will allow the Hormuz Strait to be OPEN TO ALL, including Iran," Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
"If they don’t agree, the bombing starts, and it will be, sadly, at a much higher level and intensity than it was before," Trump said.
According to Axios, the deal would involve Iran committing to a moratorium on nuclear enrichment, the US agreeing to lift its sanctions and release billions in frozen Iranian funds, and both sides lifting restrictions around transit through the Strait of Hormuz.
It said many of the terms laid out in the memo would be contingent on a final agreement being reached, leaving the possibility of renewed war or an extended limbo in which the hot war has stopped, but nothing is truly resolved.
