The Ajmer police on Sunday detained six minor madrasa students for killing Mohammadi Masjid’s imam, Maulana Mohammad Mahir (32), on April 27. The students alleged that Mahir was sexually abusing them and disturbed by his regular harassment, they decided to kill him.
Police have recovered Mohammed Mahir’s mobile phone and the rope that was allegedly used to strangle him.
All the Madarsa students had been narrating a different story about the murder. The students claimed that three masked men arrived in the Madarsa, killed Mahir, and threatened them to be quiet.
Ajmer SP Devendra Kumar Bishnoi said, “The case was a challenge for us because nothing was emerging despite scanning hundreds of CCTV footage and investigating Mahir’s background. But, we took students into confidence who revealed everything.”
Bishnoi said, "Mahir would watch obscene videos on his mobile and also show it to the children and indulge in inappropriate behaviour with them".
“Recently, a new student was sexually abused by Mahir. When he threatened to reveal everything, Mahir lured him with money. However, he continued abusing him. Then, students decided to kill Mahir,” Bishnoi said.
“On the 26th April night, the students bought sleeping pills from a nearby medical store and fed them to Mahir. The students first decided to serve him dinner laced with sleeping pills. However, the plan failed as the maulana arrived at the madrassa after having dinner outside. The children then mixed sleeping pills in the raita (curd) and served it to him. When he went to sleep, the students brought sticks and rope from the store room. When Mahir was sleeping, the students attacked him on the head with the stick and put the rope around his neck and strangulated him, resulting in his death," Bishnoi concluded.
