A disturbing incident intertwining superstition, personal vendetta, and calculated deception has unraveled in the Muzaffarnagar district of Uttar Pradesh. Police have apprehended a father and his son for the murder of an 81-year-old temple priest, Swami Devanand Bharti, who was gunned down inside a local temple complex. The arrested individuals have been identified as Hashim and his son Zeeshan, both residents of the same village within the Bhorakala police station limits. The investigation revealed that the duo held a grudge against the elderly priest after his prediction regarding the gender of an unborn child proved completely incorrect, prompting them to execute the killing while simultaneously attempting to frame an innocent neighbour.
The Prediction That Triggered Hostility
According to the findings shared by law enforcement authorities, the genesis of the conflict traces back approximately one and a half months before the incident. Zeeshan's wife was expecting a child, and the family had approached Swami Devanand Bharti, the priest at the local Shiva temple located near the ITI College in the Bhorakala jurisdiction. The 81-year-old priest had prophesied that the couple would be blessed with a baby boy. However, when Zeeshan's wife gave birth to a daughter instead, the father and son reacted with intense anger. A bitter confrontation erupted between the accused and the priest over the failed prophecy, fostering lingering animosity within the family against him.
A Cunning Conspiracy to Frame a Neighbour
Alongside their growing grievance against the priest, Hashim and Zeeshan were embroiled in an ongoing feud with a fellow villager named Harendra. Seizing upon the confrontation with the temple priest, the father-son pair devised a premeditated plot to accomplish two objectives at once: eliminate the priest to settle their grievance and implicate Harendra in a capital offense. To execute their trap, the perpetrators managed to covertly obtain a photograph of Harendra from his mobile phone. With their plan laid out, they acquired firearms and prepared to execute the crime under the cover of darkness.
The Fatal Assault at the Shiva Temple
The violent attack took place on the night of October 13, 2026. The assailants arrived on a motorcycle at the Shiva temple premises near the ITI College in the Bhorakala area, where they ambushed 81-year-old Swami Devanand Bharti. The elderly priest was shot dead inside the temple grounds. Before fleeing the scene of the crime, the attackers deliberately dropped Harendra's photograph on the premises. Their objective was to mislead arriving investigators into believing that Harendra had visited the spot and carried out the murder, thereby turning the entire focus of the police inquiry onto their rival neighbour.
Technical Investigation and the Unravelling of the Plot
Upon receiving notification of the fatal shooting, police teams quickly arrived at the temple, secured the perimeter, and sent the priest's body for a post-mortem examination. While combing the scene, investigators recovered the photograph of Harendra, which immediately raised critical operational questions. Under the supervision of the Senior Superintendent of Police, three dedicated police teams were formed to track down the culprits. Utilizing technical support and data insights derived through the Yaksh application, alongside ground intelligence, investigators began piecing together the timeline. The technical evidence firmly pointed toward Hashim and Zeeshan, leading to their apprehension and interrogation.
Superintendent of Police (Rural) Details the Breakthrough
Outlining the official breakthrough, Superintendent of Police (Rural) Akshay Sanjay Mahadik stated that following the fatal shooting of priest Devanand Bharti on October 13, 2026, near the ITI College in the Bhora Kala area, a case was registered under relevant legal sections. Intensive investigation by three specialized teams resulted in the arrest of Zeeshan and Hashim. Officers recovered the crime vehicle, a Glamour motorcycle, along with two.315-bore country-made pistols and live ammunition from the possession of the accused. Officials confirmed that the suspects confessed to planning the murder due to the dispute over the failed birth prediction and staging the scene with Harendra's photograph to settle their separate rivalry. Further formal legal proceedings against both accused persons are actively underway.
