Karnataka: 3 priests found brutally murdered at Mandya temple

MANDYA: Three priests were found brutally murdered in the courtyard of Sri Arakeshwara Temple at Guttalu on the outskirts of Mandya city on Friday morning.
The bodies of the priests, identified as Ganesh, Prakash and Anand, were found in a pool of blood with their heads crushed with boulders. The bodies were spotted by the villagers after they found the temple door open.
The accused took only currency notes and left behind the coins.
The three deceased were cousins and served as temple priests. The three used to sleep on the premises for security of the temple and its property, the police stated.
The temples come under the Muzrai department and this temple at Guttalu was rated as ‘B’ Group temple. IGP (Southern Range) Vipul Kumar rushed from Mysuru and visited the crime scene.
Police did not find any clues of resistance by the deceased.
It is suspected that all three were killed in their sleep as there were no clues of any kind of resistance. The cops suspect that more than three attackers could be involved in the murders. Police is suspecting that robbery could be the motive behind these murders as the three hundis were moved outside the temple premises and the offerings, mainly cash, was looted.
The emptied kanike hundis (money collection boxes) were found outside the temple. The killers had managed to escape with the cash in the three hundi boxes leaving behind only coins of various denominations, which are found spilled near hundis.
The bodies were spotted by the villagers after saw temple doors open.
Police said that before escaping, the miscreants also ransacked the sanctum sanctorum of the temple in search of more valuables and cash.
Mandya police is taking help of sniffer dogs to track the culprits and forensic experts have started collecting the evidences from the crime scene. Mandya SP Parashuram said that special teams will be formed to trace the culprits. A case has been registered in Mandya East police station.

Karnataka chief minister BS Yediyurappa has announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh each for the families of the three deceased.
(With inputs from KR Rajendra Kumar)
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