Missing Mysure healer tortured and killed in Kerala for a secret medicine

Thiruvananthapuram: Nearly three years after he went missing, police say Shaba Sherif, a traditional healer from Mysuru, was tortured and killed by three men for not sharing with them his medicinal secrets.

The 60-year-old healer was abducted and held captive for more than year before he was murdered in Kerala.

Police learnt of the murder after they had taken into custody three men for trying to immolate themselves in front of the Secretariat at Thiruvananthapuram on April 29, according to The Indian Express.

According to police, Shaibin Asharaf and his associates P Shihabudeen, 36, Naushad and N Nishad abducted the healer Shaba Sherif from his home in Mysuru in August 2019.

Having taken him to Asharaf's house at Nilambur, the healer was chained and confined in a room.

Asharaf had plans to commercially produce a medicine for piles treatment. Shaba Sherif who knew about the medicine refused to part with the gang the secret.

Asharaf and his men tortured and killed the healer before chopping up and packing the pieces, dumping them into a river.

Nilambur sub-divisional police officer Saju K Abraham said police were looking for five others also.

He also said search would be made for the body parts thrown into Chaliyar River in Nilambur.

Abraham said Sherif's elixir for piles was fast healing and Mysuru was traditionally popular for traditional healers.

Asharaf had an eye on this medicine as he wanted to start commercial production of it, he said.

Sherif's family had earlier filed a missing complaint with Mysuru police.