Nashik

In a shocking crime, a refugee Sufi cleric from Afghanistan was sprayed with bullets in the Yeola town of Maharashtra's Nashik district on Tuesday evening.

According to local police, the incident occurred in an open deserted plot near the MIDC industrial zone in the town.

Preliminary probe revealed that at least four unidentified persons suddenly came there and fired multiple rounds at the Afghan cleric, targeting him in the head and neck, leading to his instant death.

The victim has been identified as Khwaja Sayyed Chishti, 35, a refugee from Afghanistan, popularly known as 'Sufibaba'. He used to preach in several religious gatherings or mausoleums.

After committing the crime, the four assailants fled with an SUV parked nearby, reportedly owned by the Chishti, and efforts are on to track it.

A case of murder has been registered and investigations were underway to trace the four suspected assailants.

He was an Afghanistan passport holder who had come to India around four years ago.

ALSO READ: Two terrorists surrender during encounter at Kulgam

The motive behind the ghastly crime-tentatively suspected to be a property-linked matter.