Khwaja Syed Zarif Maudood Chishty also known as Sufi Baba was shot dead by a group of four unidentified persons in Yeola town of Maharashtra’s Nashik district on Tuesday.
A possible motive behind the murder was not immediately known.
The incident took place in the evening at an open plot in the MIDC area of Yeola town, around 200km from Mumbai, IANS reported.
A citizen of Afghanistan, Syed Zarif was controversial for his claims of being the descendant of Hazrat Ali, the son-in-law of the Prophet Muhammad. His antics often drew ridicule on social media, where he had a large following.
Zarif Chishty was shot with a firearm in the forehead by the attackers, following which he died on the spot. After killing Chishty, the assailants fled the spot in his SUV.
The case of murder was registered at the Yeola police station and a hunt was on to nab the killers.
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