By IANS
New Delhi : He was the head priest of the Krishna temple and looked up to with reverence by the devout, but he coldly planned and executed the murder of his aide – first killed him with poison, threw acid on the face to disfigure it and then wrapped it in polythene and a quilt, and was about to dump it in the river when he was caught.
Bhagwat Sharma, head priest of the Krishna Temple in Sector-II of Dwarka, southwest Delhi, allegedly killed Dhananjay on Monday over some property matter. He was caught by police in Uttarakhand when he was driving with the body in the boot of his black Santro in order to dump it in the Ganges river in Rishikesh.
Uttarakhand Police said Thursday that Sharma had committed the crime with the help of his family.
“Bhagwat Sharma is a ruthless murderer. He killed Dhananjay by poisoning him and then threw acid on his face to mutilate it,” said Sandip Negi, station house officer of Munekiriti Police Station in Rishikesh.
“He first packed the body in a sack bag, then wrapped it with plastic and covered it by a rajai (cotton quilt) before dumping it in his Santro’s boot. When we found the body, it was stinking and the face was almost disfigured,” Negi told IANS from Rishikesh.
Uttarakhand Police arrested him and his driver Raj Singh near Tapovan area in Rishikesh Tuesday.
According to Negi, after sustained interrogation it was found that at least two members of Sharma’s family – his wife and a just-married son were involved in the murder.
“Dhananjay was a strong and stout man and it was impossible to kill him single handed. Investigations reveal that the family was involved in the crime and it was a pre planned move.”
Sharma had immense presence of mind too. When caught by the police with the body in the boot, he did not break down. Instead, he said the man had committed suicide and he was going to throw the body in the Ganges to bring peace to the soul.
“After interrogation he told us that he had killed Dhananjay by strangulation. However, the medical report has confirmed poison.”
Negi said Dhananjay’s family members had visited Rishikesh and his brother, Sanjay, had registered a case against Sharma of murder, conspiracy and concealing the crime.
“Both Sharma and his driver have been sent to 14 days’ judicial custody. We have informed Delhi Police and they would carry the investigation forward,” the officer added.