Lucknow: Burnt scooter suspicion costs temple caretaker his life; 3 held

SHO Dubagga Srikant Rai said the motive traced back to January 16, when Tiwari found his scooter burnt and allegedly suspected victim Kallu Prajapati alias Baba, 60, or those staying with him, of being responsible. The suspicion had already sparked arguments between them.

Police on Saturday arrested two men and took a juvenile into protection for allegedly killing a 25-year temple caretaker, dragging him nearly 10 metres, strangling him with a bedsheet and dumping his body into a 15-foot-deep vacant plot in Dubagga’s Ashrayheen Colony, all over a suspicion that he had burnt one of the accused’s scooter.

Two accused were arrested while a minor was taken into police protection (Sourced)

The accused, Ankit Tiwari, 20, a resident of Ara in Bihar, and Rahul Rawat, 19, along with a 17-year-old, were nabbed near Joggers Park crossing and later sent to judicial custody.

SHO Dubagga Srikant Rai said the motive traced back to January 16, when Tiwari found his scooter burnt and allegedly suspected victim Kallu Prajapati alias Baba, 60, or those staying with him, of being responsible. The suspicion had already sparked arguments between them.

On the night of the incident, the three allegedly arrived at the temple in an intoxicated state and began removing electric wires. When Prajapati objected, they allegedly assaulted him and pressed him to confess to burning the scooter. His refusal allegedly enraged them further.

The caretaker was allegedly dragged nearly 10 metres, beaten with sticks and pushed into a drain before being strangled with a bedsheet and cloth. His body was then dumped into the adjacent plot, police said.

Following a complaint by the victim’s brother, Puttillal, a murder FIR was registered. Police said the investigation is underway and additional force has been deployed in the area as a precaution.