A spiritual leader hailing from Afghanistan, who had been staying in Nashik in Maharashtra, was shot dead in the Yeola area on Tuesday evening.
According to the Yeola City police, the deceased, Khwaja Ahmed Zarif Chishti (35), had come to India around four years ago and, after staying in several other states, had come to stay in Nashik last year. Chishti, who was also known as Sufi Baba, used to perform religious rituals and provide spiritual guidance in exchange for donations, the police said.
“Chishti had come to the Yeola town on Tuesday evening with his driver and three other people, and one of them shot him in the head, after which all the accused fled the scene,” said Superintendent of Police Sachin Patil, Nashik Rural police.
Patil added that all the four accused had been identified and a manhunt had been launched for them.
Further inquiries indicate that a financial dispute arising from the purchase of a plot of land in Yeola might have led to the murder.
“Chishti, due to his foreigner status, could not buy land in India and hence obtained land in the name of his friends. The car that he was using was also owned by someone else. Prima facie, it appears that Chishti and the accused had come to Yeola to visit a plot of land there that they were interested in. It was during this time that he was shot,” an officer with the Yeola City police station said.
The officer added that inquiries were currently underway with all of Chishti’s friends and family members, as well as with the relatives of the accused in order to get leads on their whereabouts.
“Some names have come to light in our preliminary investigations and these people have been brought to the police station for inquiries. It is too early to say whether they were involved in the murder,” said Deputy Superintendent of Police Sameer Salve, Nashik Rural.
The police have so far found out that Chishti stayed in Delhi and Karnataka before coming to the Vavi town in Nashik. He also had his own YouTube channel, said officers.
