FARIDABAD: A 55-year-old pandit was allegedly murdered near a mandir in Faridabad’s Sector-31 area after he objected to a group of youths consuming drugs near the mandir premises. Crime Branch has arrested two accused in connection with the case, while two others are still being traced. According to the police investigation, four youths were reportedly sitting near the mandir and consuming drugs when Pandit Om Prakash Yadav asked them to stop.
🚨 BIG UPDATE IN FARIDABAD PRIEST MURDER CASE
Police ARRESTED Ashif alias Titi & Ashif alias Kaliya in the murder of 65-year-old priest Amolakshankar.
The accused allegedly ATTACKED him with a stone after he STOPPED them from CONSUMING DRUGS near the temple. pic.twitter.com/0SET0fF9XP
— Megh Updates 🚨™ (@MeghUpdates) September 29, 2026
Pandit attacked with grinding stone
Police said the youths began assaulting the pandit after he objected to their activities. During the assault, the accused picked up a grinding stone, locally known as a sil-batta, and struck Yadav on the head. The pandit suffered serious injuries and died. Police said the accused subsequently took some items from the mandir, in an attempt to make the incident appear to be a robbery. Yadav, 55, had reportedly been living alone at the mandir for around a year and was engaged in performing religious duties there.
The investigation also revealed that the two arrested accused did not leave Faridabad after the incident. Instead, they continued driving auto-rickshaws in the city, apparently without attempting to evade attention.
The arrested accused have been identified as 20-year-old Ashif alias T.T., a resident of Mathura in Uttar Pradesh, and 34-year-old Ashif alias Kalia, a resident of Jurhera in Rajasthan. According to police, both accused were addicted to drugs and were under the influence of intoxicants when the incident occurred.
The case was initially investigated by the local police before being handed over to the Crime Branch.
Following the investigation, the Crime Branch arrested the two accused. Police are now searching for two other persons who were reportedly present with the accused at the time of the incident. Raids are being conducted at possible locations to trace them.
Crime ACP Aman Yadav said Ashif already has three cases registered against him. These include one case under the Arms Act and two cases related to theft. Police are questioning the arrested accused and continuing the investigation to establish the complete sequence of events and trace the remaining suspects.
