1 week Ago By Diana George
The Sitapur police on Thursday arrested a temple priest and his two aides for allegedly murdering journalist and RTI activist Raghvendra Vajpayee. Vajpayee was shot dead on March 8 in Maholi while returning from work. The police say that the priest, Shivanand Baba alias Vikas Rathore, allegedly plotted to kill Vajpayee after the latter caught him sodomising a minor boy at the temple premises.
"Fearing public disgrace and criminal proceedings, the priest plotted Vajpayee's murder and sought help from Nirmal Singh and Aslam Ghazi, who arranged for two shooters from outside the district," Sitapur SP Chakresh Mishra said, a TOI report states. As per the report, the police said that Shivanand paid ₹4 lakh to contract killers through the two aides. While the priest and his accomplices have been arrested, the shooters remain absconding.
Ambushed And Shot Multiple Times Vajpayee, 36, a reporter with a national Hindi daily, was ambushed and shot multiple times. Locals rushed him to a hospital, but he was declared dead on arrival. According to the TOI report, Vajpayee was a regular visitor to the Karedev Baba Temple in Maholi, where in February, he caught the priest in a compromising position with a minor boy.
As per the report, Vajpayee threatened to expose the priest, who then hatched the murder plan. A 12-team task force led by Additional SP (South) Praveen Ranjan Singh analysed over 4,000 mobile numbers and questioned more than 100 suspects. It was CCTV footage from a nearby petrol pump that finally helped identify the suspects after capturing the shooters fleeing on motorcycles.
After Murder, Bhang-Fuelled Celebration With Woman Theatre Artist Following the murder, police said, Shivanand indulged in a bhang-fuelled celebration with a theatre artist. Shivanand is said to have met Komal Mishra during a Raslila performance. The two allegedly stayed at a Sitapur hotel, consumed alcohol and bhang, and the priest reportedly engaged in "unnatural sex" with her, police claimed.
Slain Journalist's Wife Questions Police Probe Vajpayee's wife, Rashmi, has rejected the police narrative and suspects a cover-up. "First, they tried to malign my husband's character, now they are pushing another theory. We don't trust this investigation.
We will approach the chief minister and demand a CBI probe," she said. Get Latest News Live on Times Now along with Breaking News and Top Headlines from Crime and around the world..
