Octogenarian priest bludgeoned to death on temple premises in Lucknow

An 85-year-old priest of a Shiva temple was brutally bludgeoned to death in Shivpur village on the city’s outskirts late Tuesday night, police officials said Wednesday.

They said Fakire Das’ blood-soaked body was found inside his hut on the temple premises and a brick apparently used to hit him by assailants was recovered from the spot.

For now, the police have ruled out loot or theft as the motive behind the crime as the cash in the donation box as well as other belongings of the deceased have been found intact.

Circle Officer (CO) of Bakshi Ka Talab police station, Hridesh Katheria said the octogenarian had been staying alone in the temple for the past few years.

He had meal with some of his followers at around 8 pm on Tuesday.

He said the priest’s body was discovered by a local villager who had come to the temple on Wednesday morning and alerted the police.

He said a team of forensic experts and dog squad was called to examine the crime scene but so far, no breakthrough had been made in the case.

The CO said the preliminary investigation suggested that personal enmity could be a reason behind the killing.

“The priest originally belongs from Sultanpur district and we have approached his family to know if there was any old dispute or apparent motive behind his killing,” Katheria said.

He said the body has been sent for post-mortem after registering an FIR for murder against unidentified assailants.