Three Hindu priests of Sri Arakeshwara Temple at Guttalu on the outskirts of Mandya city were found murdered on Friday (September 11) morning. The priests have been identified as Ganesh, Prakash and Anand. All three were found brutally killed with their heads crushed with boulders and lying in a pool of blood.
The bodies were first noticed by the villagers after they found the temple door open. The hundis were found broken and emptied out. The killers had took only the currency notes in the Hundi and left behind the coins which were seen strewn around in the ground.
The three priests were cousins and served as temple priests. They used to sleep inside the temple for the security of the temple and its property, the police stated.
The temples come under the Muzrai department and this temple at Guttalu was rated as ‘B’ Group temple.
Vipul Kumar IGP (Southern Range) was at the scene from Mysuru and visited the crime scene.
The police think that the three Hindu priests were killed in their sleep as there were no clues of any kind of resistance.
The cops suspect there were multiple individuals who carried out this gruesome murders.
The killers had not just broken the hundi and stolen money but also desecrated the sanctum sanctorum of the temple in search of more valuables and cash.
Police have taken the help of sniffer dogs and forensic experts have started collecting the evidence from the crime scene.
Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa has announced a compensation of ₹5 lakh each for the families of the three deceased.