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Self-Styled Godman Arrested in Dhule Double Murder After New-Moon Ritual

Police now focus on forensic tests to firm up motive.

Overview

  • Nizampur police arrested Yogesh alias Bhaiyya Bapu Khairnar after a woman and her friend were found dead following Saturday's new-moon ritual at his ashram in Dhule.
  • Investigators say he tried to sexually assault Jayshree Rajnikant Kakuste during a ride home, strangled her when she resisted, then killed her friend Akshay Gangadhar Sonawane with an iron rod.
  • A saffron handkerchief at the scene and a dog squad trail linked the crime to the ashram, leading to Khairnar's detention and confession.
  • Police say the confession led them to recover the male victim's body behind the ashram, and they accuse the suspect of trying to burn and hide evidence.
  • A court remanded him to seven days in police custody under murder and evidence-tampering provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, as officers test forensic clues and examine any occult angle.