Five men, allegedly involved in last week's triple murder in a Karnataka temple, have been arrested.
Five men allegedly involved in the murder of three employees at a famous temple in Karnataka's Mandya have been arrested, the police said today. Three of the suspects were arrested after a shootout this morning, in which three policemen were injured, according to officers.
They were caught and cornered reportedly on the basis of information given by two men arrested late last night with Rs 1,75,000, which is suspected to be part of the cash stolen from the temple's collection box after the priests were murdered last week in Mandya, some 156 km from Bengaluru.
The police claim the two men confessed to killing the three men, including two watchmen and the son of a priest.
On Monday morning, the police took the pair along to track down their accomplices, who were reportedly spotted near a bus stand.
According to the police, the three suspects, on being spotted, attacked the cops with sharp weapons and stones, forcing the policemen to fire in the air. When the attack did not stop, the cops shot the accused in the legs "in self-defence", the police said.
The five men are believed to be involved in thefts at other temples in south Karnataka.
Five teams headed by the Deputy Superintendent of Police were formed to investigate the Mandya triple murder, which caused shock across the state.
A top police officer of Mandya, K Parashurama, told NDTV that two of the men were guards and one was the son of a priest.
The blood-soaked bodies of the priests were found inside the temple; all three were reportedly killed with a blunt weapon that is yet to be found.