Bodies of 2 missing friends found buried behind temple in UP's Baghpat

They allegedly confronted the temple's mahant about his relationship with Ankit's sister, leading to their murder. Investigations continue.

The bodies of two men, who had been missing for nearly three weeks, were found buried behind a temple in Lahchaura village in Uttar Pradesh’s Baghpat district on Thursday, police said.

Police said Ankit and Israr had allegedly confronted Nath over his relationship with Ankit’s sister. (PTI file photo for representation)

“The bodies of Ankit, 25, and Israr, 32, were recovered after police excavated the premises of mahant Naresh Nath, who is now absconding. Two people have been detained for questioning in the matter,” said superintendent of police (SP) Suraj Kumar Rai.

“Based on evidence gathered during the probe and information obtained from the detained persons, police learnt that the bodies had allegedly been buried on the mahant’s premises. The bodies were subsequently recovered on Wednesday,” the SP added.

The two victims were friends

According to their families, said police, Ankit and Israr were close friends and lived opposite each other. Ankit was unemployed and the only brother among five sisters, while Israr worked as a labourer and supported his wife and three children, they said. Both the men left home on a motorcycle on July 25 and did not return. Their phones were switched off from the evening of July 27. “A missing persons case was registered at Chandinagar police station on July 29. Police examined call records, mobile locations and other evidence before tracing the men’s last known movements to the temple,” Rai said.

Police said Ankit and Israr had allegedly confronted Nath over his relationship with Ankit’s sister. Investigators suspect the confrontation escalated and the men were killed and buried behind the temple.

“The bodies were in an advanced state of decomposition and were identified through their clothes and belongings. They were sent for post-mortem examination after inquest proceedings. A forensic team also collected evidence from the site,” the SP said.

The exact sequence of events and the motive were being investigated, police said.