Prince Sharma | Roorkee2 hours ago
Haridwar police searching the temple premises.
Two sadhus were murdered, and their bodies were found buried in the forest near the temple premises they served at, in Haridwar. One sadhu was strangled to death, while the other was stabbed with a knife. The reasons for the murder have not yet been ascertained.
People from the surrounding area have expressed suspicion about three individuals dressed as sadhus who had come from outside and were staying at the temple. All three are currently reported to be missing. The incident occurred at the Pathreshwar Mahadev Temple in the Pathri police station area of the Laksar region.
When neither sadhu was seen on the temple premises on Monday morning, villagers became suspicious. During the search, when both bodies were found buried in the ground near the temple premises, it created a sensation.
See the pictures-
Police questioning people at the Shiva temple.
Police recording statements of people present nearby in writing.
The complete news in chronological order
1. Sadhus had been living in the temple for a long time- In Shivgarh village under Pathri police station area of Laksar region in Haridwar district, there is a very old Shiva temple, which is known as Pathreshwar Mahadev Temple. Two sadhus, Seva Giri and Uttam Giri, had been residing in the temple premises for a long time and were taking care of the temple and performing worship rituals.
However, even the local villagers did not have accurate information about where these two were originally from.
2. Three suspicious sadhus had come from outside – According to police investigation and local inputs, three persons dressed as sadhus came from outside and stayed in the temple premises on Saturday night. Since these three stayed in the temple itself, there is a strong possibility that they were previously acquainted with Seva Giri and Uttam Giri.
3. Murder and Attempt to Destroy Evidence – On Saturday night itself, due to unknown reasons, the accused attacked both sadhus in a planned manner in the temple premises. One sadhu was killed by strangulation (suffocation). The other sadhu was stabbed repeatedly with a knife and murdered.
After committing the murder, with the intention of concealing the crime and destroying evidence, the accused dug a deep pit in the temple premises and the adjoining forest area and buried both sadhus’ bodies in the ground.
4. Monday morning suspicion arose – On Monday morning, when Seva Giri and Uttam Giri were not seen in the temple premises for a long time, the temple caretaker and villagers suspected something. When a search was conducted in the vicinity, excavation of the ground near the temple and suspicious circumstances were noticed.
After this, the temple caretaker immediately gave written information to the police about the two sadhus going missing and the suspicion of their murder.
5. Police and FSL teams launched a search operation – CO Laksar Devendra Negi, SP Rural Shekhar Chandra Suyal, and Pathri Police Station In-charge Ravindra Kumar reached the spot with police force and a specialist team from the Forensic Science Lab (FSL).
After the police identified the suspicious location, they started excavation. The bodies of both sadhus were recovered. As news of the bodies being found spread, sensation gripped the entire Shivgarh village and surrounding areas.
6. Three persons disguised as Sadhus reported missing – After inspection of the crime scene and initial investigation, the police are searching for the following main suspects. Since the incident, the temple’s head priest Akhil Giri has suddenly absconded, which has raised strong suspicion against him.
The three unknown persons disguised as sadhus who came and stayed at the temple on Saturday night are also missing from the scene. The police have taken both bodies into custody and sent them for post-mortem. Only after the report arrives will the exact causes and time of death be known.
The FSL team has collected fingerprints and other important scientific evidence from the scene. SSP Navneet Singh said that police teams have been formed to search for the suspected persons disguised as sadhus and raids are being conducted at possible hideouts.
