The Ujjain Police have booked a 32-year-old man identified as Mohammad Yunus Mulla, who allegedly tried to gain access to Bhasma Aarti of the world-famous Mahakal Temple in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh, by identifying himself as Abhishek Dubey.
The incident took place during the early hours on December 15. As per reports, Mulla hails from Bengaluru. He has been booked under Sections 419 and 420 of the Indian Penal Code. He was with his friend Khushboo Yadav and was staying at a hotel nearby.
Mulla had done booking for attending the Bhasma Aarti on Wednesday morning using the fake name Abhishek Dubey. He visited the temple with Khushboo, who introduced him as her brother. Police said there was a possibility that the 30-year-old man, Abhishek Dubey, whose identity Mulla used to get the entry pass, is related to Khushboo.
Pallavi Shukla, Circle SP (CSP), was quoted by The New India Express saying that Mulla was stopped at the entry point by the temple staff for checking. The security staff noticed that the picture did not match Mulla. Upon frisking him, they found another Aadhaar card with his original identity. The Police were immediately informed. Shukla said, “The temple staff immediately informed the police, after which Yunus was taken in custody.”
Police did not confirm if Khushboo was booked for criminal conspiracy or not. The investigation is underway to check if she was complicit in the alleged conspiracy. Ujjain Police said that Khushoo and Mulla both work in the fashion industry in Mumbai. Khushboo hails from Lucknow but is currently living in Mumbai. While booking the room in a hotel close to the temple, Khushboo and Mulla had shown their original IDs. Upon search, Police reportedly did not find anything incriminating from their room.
The Mahakal Temple in Ujjain houses one of the 12 jyotirlingas and is among one of the most high-security places of worship in the country. Hindu and Buddhist temples in the past have faced multiple attacks from armed Islamic terrorists and hence security checks have been made mandatory at most places.