Temple priest, main accused in Badaun gangrape and murder case, arrested

The Uttar Pradesh Police has arrested the temple priest, the main accused in the brutal Badaun gangrape and murder case, on Thursday night. A 50-year-old woman, employed as an Anganwadi worker, was gang-raped and brutally murdered allegedly by a priest and two others in Badaun district in Uttar Pradesh, the police said. The horrific incident took place on Sunday when the woman had gone to a temple, they said, adding that all three accused have been booked.

District Magistrate Kumar Prashant has confirmed that the main accused was hiding in the house of one of his followers in a village from where he was picked up and arrested. The priest had come to the village around five years ago and remained mostly aloof. He lived in one of the rooms in the temple complex, reports said.

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Sankalp Sharma had said, "The post-mortem report confirms rape, and there are injuries in her private parts and a fracture in the leg." He added that the station house officer of Ughaiti police station has been suspended for laxity in the case. "On Sunday, the 50-year-old woman, who had gone to a temple, was found dead under mysterious circumstances. Family members of the woman have accused the temple mahant and his aides of raping and murdering her. Based on this, a case was registered against the accused. Two of the accused persons were arrested on Tuesday night, while the mahant is still absconding," he had said.