Salem: Temple priest found dead

Salem: A priest of a Kali Amman temple near Salem was found dead under mysterious circumstances with severe neck injuries near the Harur main road on Tuesday, police said.

Bhaskaran, 56, of Valasaiyur near Salem, is a handloom weaver by profession. He had built a small temple for Goddess Kali Amman near his house and was also performing the 'poojas' himself for the deity. His wife and daughter live in Coimbatore, police said.

According to the Police, Bhaskaran had reportedly left home on Sunday, but had not returned for nearly two days. Meanwhile, police got an information of a body found dead on an open ground off the Harur main road on Tuesday morning.

Police retrieved the unclaimed body and sent it to Salem GH for post-mortem. Initial investigation revealed that the body was that of the priest Bhaskaran and that he had been allegedly murdered.

Bhaskaran had reportedly been running a small chit fund and making use of the proceeds from that business for organising festivals in his Kali Amman temple, police said, adding, various investigative angles were being probed including whether any previous enmity had led to the priest's alleged murder.