Two men arrested for loot and murder of priest in Ghaziabad

The Ghaziabad police on Tuesday arrested two men allegedly involved in a case of loot and murder in April 2017. Both men carry a reward of Rs 25,000 each for their arrest and are alleged to have murdered the priest of a temple in Nehru Nagar.

The two accused were identified by the police as Ashok Giri and Awadh Ram. They are from Bahraich and Shravasti districts, respectively. The police said that both the men had been on the run since the incident that took place on the intervening night of April 28 and 29, 2017.

“The two men, along with several others, murdered the priest inside the temple complex, looted his money and fled. Several people involved in the incident were arrested earlier, but these two were on the run since the incident. They both carry a reward of Rs 25,000 each for their arrest and are also facing charges under the Gangster Act,” Vaibhav Krishna, senior superintendent of police, said.

During the investigation, the police found that on the night of the incident, a group of men had barged inside the temple complex and murdered mahant Nasik Giri. Both his legs had been tied and he had been strangled. His body was discovered the next morning.

The temple is located barely 20 metres from the Nasirpur police post under the jurisdiction of the Sihani Gate police station area in Ghaziabad.

The police said that the two men had come to Ghaziabad for some work and were trying to flee by boarding a bus near ALT crossing, but were arrested during a routine check.

A case for loot and murder was lodged at Sihani Gate police station, while the two accused were arrested by the Kavi Nagar police on Tuesday.