Three booked in mahant suicide case in Rajkot

RAJKOT: The Rajkot police on Tuesday lodged a complaint against three persons in connection with the suicide of 60-year-old mahant Sadhu Jayramdas Bapu who died on June 1 at his Ashram in Rajkot city.
FIR was lodged against Alpesh Solanki, a resident of Pedhavada village of Kodinar taluka, Hitesh Jadav, a resident of Prashnavada village in Sutrapada taluka, and Vikram Sohla, a resident of Gandhigram area of Rajkot city.
Sadhu Jayramdas Bapu was found dead in his room at the ashram in Kagadadi village near Rajkot on June 1 evening. Initially, his followers thought that he died of cardiac arrest and cremated him following day. But two days after his death, the mahant’s followers found a 20-page suicide note which mentioned names of the accused while cleaning his room. The suicide note also had details about how he was being blackmailed by the accused using a video which showed him with a woman.
Police sources said that Alpesh and Hitesh had reportedly extorted Rs 20 lakh from Sadhu over the last one and a half year by blackmailing him. After the suicide note surfaced, trustees of Shree Khodiyar dham Ashram education and charitable trust approached police and lodged a complaint against accused.