Sitapur journalist’s murder: Priest’s easy confession on plotting murder puzzles cops
Mar 20, 2025 08:58 PM IST
Officials explained that the priest has failed to explain so far, how he got the murder conspiracy executed, who were the executors, and when and how he met the killers
The confession of a local priest, aged around 30 years, about hatching the murder conspiracy of Hindi news daily journalist, Raghvendra Bajpai, allegedly over his homosexual relations, has puzzled cops for over a week now, said Sitapur police officials.
Bajpai was shot dead in broad daylight on the busy Lucknow-Delhi highway, under Maholi police station limits of Sitapur, on March 8.
Officials explained that the priest has failed to explain so far, how he got the murder conspiracy executed, who were the executors, and when and how he met the killers.
“This easy confession from the priest had raised doubts among a group of police personnel roped in to work out the case, while another group is circulating the same theory among local media persons to check how much this theory will be acceptable,” said a senior police personnel privy to the development, and added, “The team of Sitapur additional superintendent of police (ASP), South, Pravin Ranjan Singh, distanced itself from this theory and is making efforts to ascertain the motive behind the crime”.
When questioned about the local priest’s confession, Sitapur superintendent of police (SP), Chakresh Mishra, said that the priest is being interrogated further, and investigators are trying to verify things revealed by him during interrogation.
“Several things are needed to be known to connect the missing dots of the entire conspiracy despite the priest’s revelation during interrogation,” he said. “Further investigation in the case is going on and soon the case will be cracked and the real culprit will be arrested,” he added.
The Sitapur police have failed to get any proper breakthrough in the case after investigation of over 12 days. Since Wednesday, the UP special task force (STF) was roped in to trace the assailants after the Press Council of India on Tuesday sought a reply from the director general of police, Sitapur district magistrate and superintendent of police about the action taken in the case.
