Malkajgiri Priest Kills Woman for Ornaments

A temple priest killed an elderly woman and stole her jewelry when she visited the temple for darshan. The woman went missing a few days ago and was found dead on Thursday morning. 

As per Malkajgiri police reports—Murali Krishna, a priest at Sri Swayambhu Siddi Vinayaka Temple in Vishnupuri colony robbed the victim's gold ornaments weighing 10 tolas and sold them to Maa Bhavani Jewelers located in the same locality.

After the victim's family filed a missing complaint at the Malkajgiri police station, police went in search of her. The victim's husband reported that she had gone to the temple at 7 pm and had not returned. When her husband went to the temple and asked the priest (the accused), he said she had already left. 

When the victim's husband couldn't trace her even after searching for long, he immediately loedged a missing complaint at the Malkajgiri police station.

Malkajgiri police stated, "On the day of the incident when she visited alone for darshan, he engaged her in a conversation and bludgeoned her to death with an iron rod on her head. He stole her gold jewellery and packed her body inside a plastic drum, which he covered and stored on temple grounds for two days.  He wiped the blood spots off the floor and sold the gold to the Maa Bhavani Jewelers.

He was unable to dispose the body as family and police were searching for the victim. After two days, in the wee hours, he rolled the drum out and deposited the body beside the railway track, where the police discovered it.

Later, on a tip off, the Malkajgiri police arrested the priest and recorded his confession, in which he confessed to committing the offense. Malkakgiri police also arrested the jeweller for purchasing the victim's gold ornaments that the priest sold. Police recovered Rs 1 lakh worth stolen jewellery hidden in the plastic drum inside the temple premises for two days after the murder. A case has been registered under IPC sections 302, 201, 392, 411 by the Malkajgiri police of Rachakonda police commissionerate.