LUCKNOW: Mahoba Police have solved the murder of a Hanuman temple priest within days of the incident, arresting an 80-year-old man who allegedly killed the priest to falsely implicate his long-time rivals in a murder case.The accused, Kallu Jogi (80), a resident of Khadiyapura locality in Jaitpur town under Kulpahar police station limits, was arrested along with the alleged murder weapon and other incriminating evidence, police said on Wednesday.The victim, Udit Narayan Mishra, priest of the Phoolbag Hanuman Temple at Belatal, was found dead on July 18.Police said the incident came to light after information was received through the police control room, following which senior police officers, accompanied by forensic experts, rushed to the spot and collected scientific and physical evidence.The post-mortem examination confirmed that the priest had been murdered.Based on a complaint lodged by Jugal, son of late Chandrabhan Mishra, Kulpahar police registered an FIR against unidentified persons under Section 103(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).SP, Mahoba, Shashank Singh, said that during the investigation, police examined CCTV footage, electronic evidence and questioned local residents.Investigators also recovered a small diary from the crime scene.According to police, the investigation revealed that Kallu Jogi had been seen near the temple carrying a bamboo stick shortly before the murder and was later captured on CCTV leaving the area with the same stick.Scientific and technical evidence further corroborated his involvement, leading police to launch a search operation.The accused was arrested on July 21 from a room built on his agricultural field in Tapariyan village.During interrogation, Kallu Jogi allegedly confessed that he had an old land dispute and personal enmity with a man identified as Munshi, a resident of Belatal, and his family.Police said the accused prepared a handwritten diary containing references intended to create suspicion against his rivals.He allegedly chose the temple because the priest was alone, assaulted him with a bamboo stick, placed the diary beneath the body to mislead investigators and fled the scene.Based on the accused’s disclosure, police recovered a blood-stained bamboo stick allegedly used in the murder.Blood-stained kurta and pyjama worn during the crime and needle and thread allegedly used to prepare the diary.Two notebooks, including one containing writings related to the alleged rivalry and another whose cover matched the diary recovered from the crime scene.Police said Kallu Jogi has a criminal history, including a 2013 murder case in which he was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment by a court on March 30, 2019.He also has a previous case registered under Sections 435 and 506 of the Indian Penal Code.
