Tamil Nadu native R Selvaraj has been in Kerala for a month, seeking the mortal remains of Padma, one of the victims in human sacrifice case.
Alleged human sacrifice victim Padma's son Selvaraj at his rented accommodation in Ernakulam. (Sreerag PS/South First)
“Ammave vittitu thirumbi poka mudiyathu (I cannot leave my mother here),” R Selvaraj, the son of Padma — one of the victims in the alleged case of human sacrifice in Kerala — told South First.
He met the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) on the afternoon of Monday, 31 October, and sought financial assistance for his ongoing stay in the state due to the delay in the release of his mother’s body.
However, this request was not fulfilled by the police, who told Selvaraj to approach government officials.
Selvaraj stays with his aunt in Kathrikadavu near Kaloor in Ernakulam.
Although his uncle was staying with him until a few days ago, the shortage of money forced him to return home to Tamil Nadu.
Padma, one of the victims in the alleged human sacrifice case in Kerala. (Supplied)
“I don’t have any money left. All the money I had, I spent on rent. I don’t know what to do. When I requested the police for money, they said they could not do anything from their end, and told me to directly ask the government. All they (police) are saying is they will hand over the body when the DNA test is completed,” said Selvaraj.
“I have petitioned the government twice. Both times, I was given the response that it had been sent to the concerned department. I also gave a petition to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, requesting him to facilitate the release of amma’s body immediately. The Tamil Nadu government forwarded the petition to the Kerala chief secretary,” he added.
He also told South First that the police had not shared any details of the investigation, and that he didn’t have money to file a separate case in court.
Selvaraj has written to the Ernakulam District Collector seeking help to stay on till receives his mother’s mortal remains. (Sreerag PS/South First)
In a letter submitted to Ernakulum District Collector, Selvaraj reiterated his demands that he be provided food and accommodation until he received his mother’s mortal remains.
In the letter, he explained that the police conveyed to him that his mother’s body would be released after two weeks.
However, he stated that he didn’t have money to transport her dead body back to Tamil Nadu or conduct her last rituals either.
The letter also stated that Padma’s two sons — Selvaraj and his brother — don’t have money to survive in Kerala as both of them are students.
Earlier, he told reporters that he had not received any help from the Kerala government, and said: “We came from Tamil Nadu and are suffering in Kerala.”
Two women — Roselyn and Padma — were murdered in an apparent case of human sacrifice for “economic prosperity” at Elanthoor in the Pathanamthitta district of Kerala.
The two women, both around 50 years, were apparently lured by an “agent” named Rashid, alias Shafi, and taken to Bhagaval Singh, a massage therapist, and his wife Laila, who allegedly conducted gruesome rituals in the hopes of “financial benefit”.
On 11 October, the cops, with the help of local labourers, exhumed the bodies that were cut into pieces and buried deep on the premises of Singh and his wife’s house.
The next day, all three accused were arrested and produced before a judicial magistrate first class (JMFC) court in Ernakulam.
Later that day, the police in a press conference revealed details of the murder that sent shockwaves across the state.
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