Hyderabad: Temple priest held over elderly woman’s murder

Hyderabad: Police arrested the priest of the temple in Malkajgiri from where a woman went missing on April 18 and later found murdered. Her decomposed body was found on Thursday behind the temple.

Upon interrogation, Priest A Murali Krishna (42), who lives near the temple, confessed to killing the woman. 56-year-old G Uma Devi was a housewife and a daily visitor of the temple.

The priest killed the woman in greed of her gold ornaments which he sold to a jeweller after the murder. The jeweller J Nanda Kishore (45) of Vishnupuri Colony has also been arrested. Rs 1 lakh and two gold bangles were recovered from the priest, while the rest of the ornaments were recovered from the jeweller.

Police also recovered a plastic drum that was used to hide the victim’s body inside the temple premises for two days after the murder.