Police have launched a manhunt for four suspects after the bodies of two seers were recovered from a pit at a temple complex in Uttarakhand’s Haridwar district, exposing a suspected double murder linked to a possible dispute over the property.
The victims were identified by investigators as Seva Giri and Paras Giri, who lived at the Pathreshwar Mahadev temple in Athal village. Their bodies were dug out late on Monday after a witness reported suspicious activity on the premises and raised concerns about their disappearance.
The temple’s head priest is among four people named in the case. All four were absconding as police teams searched potential hideouts and examined their movements before and after the alleged killings.
The case emerged after a person associated with the temple noticed someone digging a pit during the night of July 18. The witness later realised that the two seers could not be found and contacted a local devotee, who alerted the police.
Officers from Pathri police station arrived with forensic specialists and inspected the temple grounds and an adjoining forested section. Freshly disturbed earth led them to the burial site, where the two bodies were discovered beneath the soil.
The remains were taken to the district hospital for post-mortem examinations. Investigators described the deaths as a clear case of murder, although the precise cause and time of death were expected to be established through autopsy findings.
Police registered a first information report against four people associated with the temple. The identities of all the accused had not been publicly disclosed, apart from the head priest’s position within the establishment.
Several teams were conducting raids, while neighbouring police units were alerted to watch transport hubs, roads and other locations that the suspects could use to leave the region. Investigators were also checking whether any of the accused had travelled to another state.
CCTV recordings collected from cameras installed around the temple were being analysed. The footage had helped officers identify people believed to have been present during the period under investigation and reconstruct events surrounding the disappearance of the seers.
Statements were being recorded from temple workers, devotees and residents of Athal village. Police were examining who last saw the victims alive, who had access to the premises and whether tools or vehicles were used to conceal the bodies.
One account given to investigators indicated that alcohol had been consumed at the temple on the night before the disappearance and that an argument had broken out. Police had not confirmed whether the confrontation directly led to the deaths, but it formed part of the inquiry.
A dispute over control of the temple or its property has emerged as a possible motive. Officers were examining records related to the premises, the roles held by those staying there and any disagreements over management, money or ownership.
Investigators were also working to determine whether the killings were planned or followed a sudden quarrel. The effort required to dig a pit and bury two bodies has prompted scrutiny of whether more than one person participated in destroying evidence.
The location of the bodies has been described differently in initial accounts, with some placing the pit within the temple premises and others identifying a forested patch beside the complex. Both areas fall within the site being examined by the forensic and police teams.
Pathreshwar Mahadev temple lies under the jurisdiction of Pathri police station in the Haridwar district. Athal village is situated in the broader Laksar-Pathri belt, away from the central pilgrimage areas of Haridwar city.
The recovery triggered concern among local residents and members of religious communities because both victims were living at a place of worship. Police maintained a presence at the site to preserve evidence and prevent unauthorised entry while the forensic examination continued.
