Three arrested for murder of Mulayam's family priest

Uttar Pradesh Police on Wednesday claimed to have arrested three "contract killers" involved in the sensational murder of the family priest of Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Mulayam Singh Yadav.

Almost a week after the shocking killing of famous astrologer and high-profile priest Pandit Ramesh Tiwari in Jaunpur, the state police claimed he was bumped off by contract killers.

The Additional Director General of Police (ADG) Law & Order Arun Kumar told reporters that the special task force (STF) had zeroed in on eight contract killers and three - Virendra Dadhi, Vijay Bahadur and Kaushal Kishore - have been arrested.

He refused to divulge the reasons behind the gruesome killing.

The killing was ordered by Amit aka Pandit and Bachai Upadhya -- both belonging to Sarpataha in Jaunpur, he said.

The conspiracy to eliminate Tiwari was hatched long back and a few people were keeping a tab on the movement and location of the astrologer, he said.

Tiwari was shot dead last week by unidentified assailants in Jaunpur district.

The astrologer, who had a big following among the politicians and bureaucrats in the state, was sitting outside his house in the Sarpataha area with his brother Rajesh Tiwari when unidentified gunmen carrying sophisticated weapons fired indiscriminately at him.