Hundreds of women from Tamil Nadu who were earning their livelihood by selling the Kerala Government’s Lottery Tickets in Ernakulam district have returned to their native places since the “human sacrifices” in Pathanamthitta district was unveiled by the police.
A senior police officer told The Pioneer that they do not have the exact number of Tamil Nadu women who were working as lottery ticket sellers in the State.
“But there is likelihood that there are thousands of them in Kerala. Many reach Kerala as domestic helps and gradually take up lottery ticket selling,” said the police officer who did not want his name to be quoted because of his inability to provide the exact figures.
Meanwhile S Sasidharan, assistant commissioner of police, Ernakulam who emerged as the super cop of the State by uncovering the gruesome murders of Padma and Roseli and arresting the trio Muhammed Shafi, Bhagwal Singh and Laila who are the prime accused in the “human sacrifices” told The Pioneer that the Special Investigation Team of Kochi City Police were probing all angles associated with the murders. “We are trying to find out whether these murders have anything to do with human organs trade. But we need some time to find out the truth, Our team is working 24X7 to unveil all mysteries and possibilities,” Sasidharan told The Pioneer.
The State has registered 7408 missing person cases till September 2022, according to the senior police officer. “Many of the missing persons were women. The phone calls made by Mohammed Shafi, the master brain behind the “sorcery” are being investigated to find out the people with whom he had links,” said the officer.
By Thursday night, the cyber wing of the Kerala Police succeeded in retrieving the social media account of Shafi, which he was operating in the name of Sreedevi. “He had told the people through the social media that he has the capability to resolve all financial woes and this has led many people to contact him. We are sure that we will be able to identify the people with whom Shafi was in regular contact,” said the officer.