3 arrested for killing temple priest

Aurangabad

Aurangabad rural police’s local crime branch arrested three persons for murdering a priest of Gawali Baba temple in Vaijapur on Saturday.

Kailash Ganpat Chavan (52) was the priest in Gawali Baba temple at the banks of the Narangi - Sarangi dam near Vaijapur city. On Friday evening, the residents observed his dead body in suspicious circumstances and they called the police.

The local crime branch police investigated and arrested the suspects Shubham Gorakh Pawar (Durganagar, Vaijapur), Ajay Deepak Pagare (Maski Chowk), and Samarth Suresh Manore (Durganagar) on Saturday evening. During interrogation, they confessed that they have killed the priest Chavan.

They said that Chavan was a drug addict and used to consume marijuana. On Thursday night, they had gone to him to consume marijuana. They had a dispute with Chavan and the three accused then beat him with sticks and fled away. The residents noticed the dead body in the evening the next day.

A case was registered with Vaijapur police station based on the complaint lodged by Gopal Kailash Chavan. Local crime branch PI Rameshwar Renge, PI Samratsingh Rajput, PSI Pradeep Thube, Ziya, Deepak Suroshe, Vijay Dhumal, Narendra Khandare, Anand Ghadeshwar, Santosh Damale and others investigated and arrested the accused.

Chavan came from Ahmednagar district to Gawali Baba temple in 2019 and used to do the daily temple rituals regularly. His son Gopal sells Wadapav at Ahmednagar bus stand.