PALGHAR :
An unsuccessful attempt was made on the life of a Godman at a temple and Ashram situated at Balivali in Palghar district shortly after midnight last night the Palghar district rural police said today.
The Virar Police Station SHO told the correspondent today that an offense under sections 394 of the IPC has been registered against three unidentified persons who crashed into the temple and looted items from it valued at around Rs. 6800/- after beating up the main priest and also his assistant the police said.
This single incident which had taken place after the Gadchinchale lynching incident has sent shock waves in the district. In the Gadchinchale incident, three persons including two Godmen were lynched on April 16, by an armed mob. They were on their way to Surat to attend a funeral and were waylaid by the mob and attacked. The police have so far arrested a total of 150 persons including ten juveniles in the sensational case.
The police said that it was around 12.30 a.m. today when three persons armed with lethal weapons crashed into the Jagrut Mahadev Mandir and Ashram at Balivali of Vasai taluka. The trio attacked the main priest Sant Sankaranand Saraswati and his assistant also a saint. The trio later broke open the cash box and looted the money and ransacked the temple and Ashram the complaint with the police stated.
The police said that the Saint out of fear when he was attacked ran for his life and got him locked in a room in the Ashram while the assistant ran out of the Ashram and hid himself far away after which the trio escaped with the booty. The duo received minor injuries in the attack the police added.