Zarif Chishti Baba was a 28-year-old Sufi preacher who was gunned down in India this week.
Police have booked six people in connection with his murder but are yet to make an arrest. However, the concern still remains why the young preacher was brutally killed.
Sufi preacher
Living as a refugee in India, Khwaja Zarif Baba Syed Zarif Chishti, popularly known as Zarif Chishti Baba belonged to Afghanistan.
A 28-year-old Afghan Sufi preacher was staying in India for the past four years. He had been staying in Yeola, Maharashtra for over one year.
Earlier he had stayed in Karnataka and Delhi. Chishti had escaped from Afghanistan fearing execution from the Taliban.
His income
As per the police, most of Chisti’s income came from his YouTube channel where he used to post his preaching videos. The channel made in 2017 has 2.27 lakh followers and received over 6 crore views. He also generated income by donations from the public.
Chishti had properties worth Rs 3 crore in India. As he is a refugee from Afghanistan, he cannot buy properties as per Indian laws, and so all the properties were purchased in the name of Indian nationals known to him.
He had also bought 15 acres of land in Yeola and a car.
Tragic death
Chisti was shot dead in a jungle area. The incident took place around 7.30 pm in a jungle area in Maharashtra’s Yeola in Nashik.
It is said that the accused who are known to Chishti took him in a vehicle to the jungle area saying they want him to perform a ‘puja’ for a new plot.
However, unaware Chishti did not know that it was just a ploy to murder him. The accused took him to a secluded spot, and as Chishti was getting into the car after performing the puja, one of them shot him with a gun killing him on the spot. The men then fled the spot.
Chisti’s family
According to Indian police, a woman who stayed with the deceased has claimed to be his wife. One of his sisters lives in Delhi and the rest of the family is in Afghanistan. However, the police have not found a marriage certificate from her and till now no lead that establishes her involvement in the crime has been found yet.
The Nashik police have informed the Afghanistan consulate about the incident. It will inform his family for claiming the mortal remains.
Who killed Chisti?
The police have booked five people in his murder on the motive related to property or monetary issues.
The police suspect that the killers may be the ones whom Chishti had named as owners of his property.
