J&K Police solve 2019 priest murder case, main accused held

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Jammu, May 28

The Jammu and Kashmir Police on Tuesday claimed to have solved a five-year-old murder case of a temple priest with the arrest of the main accused from Haryana. Baba Pragat Nath (65), a resident of Uttar Pradesh, was found dead with injuries to his head inside the temple in Toph Sherkhania on the intervening night of November 15 and 16, 2019.

Following the murder, a case was registered at Bakshi Nagar police station and an extensive investigation launched, which pointed to the involvement of two notorious criminals — Tarlok Singh of Uttar Pradesh and Ashish Kumar alias Hansai Nath of southwest Delhi, a police official said.

He said both the accused fled after the murder. It was later learnt that Tarlok Singh had died.

However, the police continued to make efforts to arrest Ashish Kumar, the official said and added he was finally apprehended from Haryana’s Jind district by a special team from Bakshi Nagar police station.

The official said investigations revealed that Singh and Kumar operated as part of a gang involved in multiple criminal activities, including theft, cheating and murder, across states such as Uttar Pradesh and Haryana.

Following Kumar’s arrest, all necessary legal formalities were completed and the charge sheet in the case was filed, he said.

“Senior police officials have commended the efforts of the investigating team, whose persistence and use of advanced technical methods led to this significant breakthrough. The successful resolution of this case underscores the J&K police’s commitment to justice and community safety,” a spokesperson said.