Delhi man among 4 held for seer’s murder in Haridwar

Haridwar: Four people were arrested on Saturday in connection with the murder of a seer in Haridwar. The main accused, Ashok Kumar, a Delhi resident and garment merchant, allegedly planned to sell the ashram after killing Mahant Govind Das, the head of Shradha Bhakti Ashram in Gyan Lok Colony, Kankhal, knowing the saint had no heir. Police said Kumar, who frequently visited the ashram, murdered Govind Das in June and dumped his body in the Ganga. The others arrested included a "fake" seer, Ramgopal Nath and Sanjiv Kumar Tyagi, a local property dealer and a Meerut resident, Lalit. After the seer's murder, Kumar made Nath manage the ashram and prepared fake documents to sell the property, said police. Senior superintendent of police (SSP) Pramendra Dobal told TOI, "On June 1, Ashok and his accomplices strangled Mahant Govind Das and dumped his body in the Ganga. They then hired a fake baba, Ramgopal Nath from Kanpur and told Govind Das's followers that he had gone on a pilgrimage to Ayodhya. A few days ago, a missing report was filed by one of the saint's disciples. During the investigation, Nath confessed to the entire plot." Ashok contacted Sanjiv Kumar Tyagi to prepare forged documents to sell the ashram valued at Rs 10 crore. Police are making efforts to nab the other suspects in the case, Saurabh and Pradeep. Authorities are also searching for Das's body in the Ganga. Initial probe revealed that both Kumar and Lalit have criminal records: the former was jailed in 2004 for bike theft, while Lalit was involved in a robbery case.
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