Temple priest hired shooters to kill journalist in UP’s Sitapur, say police

Nirmal and Aslam, both residents of the district, in turn hired two shooters for the job, the SP added.

The shooters, who have been identified, are absconding and efforts are on to arrest them, the SP said, adding that the two are hardcore criminals and have been jailed multiple times earlier.

Rathore, who was staying at the temple in Maholi as Vikas Mishra, alias Shivanand for the last five years, was scared of being exposed since Bajpai had seen him sexually exploiting the minor in February, SP Mishra said.

He said, “Earlier, Vikas Rathore used to help the main priest at the Maholi temple in rituals and other religious activities. Then he himself became a priest and used to get calls for religious events even from places outside Sitapur. We found in our investigation that Rathore used to sexually abuse a minor boy.”

Bajpai was a regular visitor to the temple and had developed a good rapport with Rathore, the SP said.

“During questioning, Rathore said one day in February Bajpai saw him sexually abusing the minor boy and chided him for the same. Rathore was constantly scared of Bajpai revealing the incident to villagers and that he might lose his reputation and livelihood as the temple priest,” the police official added.

Then Rathore met Nirmal Singh and Aslam Ghazi who assured him of helping him eliminate Bajpai, the police said.

“On March 8 morning, Rathore called Bajpai to the temple and then left for Sitapur town. He came to know about Bajpai being killed half an hour after the journalist was shot dead around 3 pm,” said the SP.

Rathore contacted a High Court lawyer enquiring about the anticipatory bail procedure soon after a police team visited the temple on March 11 in connection with the murder probe, SP Mishra said.