Mahant Narendra Giri's death: Court grants 5-day police custody of accused to CBI

In the latest development in the Mahant Narendra Giri's death case, a Prayagraj court on Monday granted five-day police custody of the three arrested accused to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The investigation body had moved an application in Prayagraj court seeking custody of accused Anand Giri, Adya Prasad Tiwari and Sandeep Tiwari in the case. In its application, the CBI had requested their custody for 10 days so that they could be interrogated and the incriminating information from their electronic gadgets could be recovered.

"The accused Anand Giri and accused Adya Prasad Tiwari were arrested by the George Town police of Prayagraj on September 21 and produced in the court on the same day. Both the accused were remanded to judicial custody for the next 14 days by the court," mentioned the application. 

"For the purpose of investigation of the present case and also to unravel the mystery behind alleged suicide of Late Narendra Giri, custodial interrogation of all three accused is required," it added.

A source privy to the investigation has told Republic TV that they need to confront the trio accused together. "We have not recorded their statement. It will be recorded now. There are possibilities that we might take them to the crime scene. We still have to recover documentary evidence, digital evidence and other things for which their custodial interrogation is a must. We will also confront them with statements of witnesses," said the source. 

Yogi Adityanath orders CBI investigation 

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had ordered a CBI probe into the death of Akhil Bharatiya Akhada Parishad president Mahant Narendra Giri on September 23. The UP Chief Minister had previously formed a police team with Additional Director General (ADG), Inspector-General IG and Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Prayagraj for the investigation. Prime accused Anand Giri had been grilled by the UP Police for 12 hours in connection with the case. He had claimed that the death of the 72-year-old seer is a 'murder conspiracy' against him. 

Acharya Narendra Giri was found dead under mysterious circumstances on Monday. The late seer was found hanging from the ceiling in Baghambari Math in Uttar Pradesh's Prayagraj.

(With Agency Inputs)