Jalandhar: The rural police have solved a month-old sacrilege case in which it was alleged that religious books, including Quran, were burnt in a mosque in Khanpur Dhadda village near Nakodar. According to the police, the caretaker of the mosque was behind the incident and he burnt physics and English text books.

Senior superintendent of police (SSP) Navjot Singh Mahal said they had received a complaint from Mukhtiar Ali on July 6 that when he came to the mosque at 5am, the lock at the entrance gate was broken open. Inside the mosque, he found Quran, religious texts, mats and bedsheets lying burnt on the floor.

“The complainant suspected Sharif Mohammad alias Vicky, a resident of the same village. We arrested Vicky and questioned him, but released him when it was established that he was innocent,” the SSP said.

Later, a special investigation team (SIT) led by superindent of police (SP), headquarter, Ravinder Pal Singh Sandhu, was formed. A five-member co-ordination committee comprising Muslims was also formed to help the SIT unravel the case.

Clues pointed towards Shaukat Ali, the caretaker of the mosque and the police, on Saturday, arrested him. When confronted with evidence, the caretaker confessed to his crimes. “He revealed that he had handed over the Quran Sharif to his nephew in Malerkotla. It seems he wanted to implicate Mohammad as he was nursing a grudge against him. Mohammad was running a mazzar (mausoleum) and was earning more than him,” said the SSP. “The Quran Sharif has been placed in the mosque,” he added.