5 held for murder of priest, 3 sewadars
KARNAL: More than three weeks after the attack on a temple in Manglora village of Karnal in which a priest and three sewadars were killed, the district police have arrested five accused in the case.
However, the police did not disclose the names of the accused but said that they belong to Uttar Pradesh and are members of an inter-state gang. The police suspect the involvement of more people in the case. Karnal superintendent of police (SP) Surender Bhoria said the accused were arrested by special police team formed to handle the case.
The SP said that during the interrogation, the accused have admitted their involvement in the case and told the police that they committed the crime for the purpose of loot.
He said they have revealed that eight people were involved in the case and the police will now make efforts to arrest the remaining three accused.
The SP said the five accused will be produced in the court and police will seek their remand for further interrogation. He said the police were also investigating their criminal background.
Notably, priest Vinod Kumar of Kaithal and a sewadar, Sultan Singh, of Uttar Pradesh were found dead at the temple on the intervening night of August 18 and 19. Two other sewadars Ravinder Kumar and Harinder Singh, who were injured critically succumbed to their injuries later in hospital.
The police had registered an FIR against one Arun Kumar alias Ganja of Manglora village along with others, but during the investigation it could not find any evidence to prove his involvement in the case.