INDORE: Spiritual guru Bhaiyyu Maharaj used a foreign-made revolver to kill himself and the weapon's licence was first issued to him in 2002 in Washim district of Maharashtra, a senior police officer said today.
Ten years later, he got an all-India licence for the revolver, made by Webley & Scott, from another district in Maharashtra, he said.
"The first licence of the revolver (made by Webley & Scott) was issued in 2002 from Maharashtra's Washim district in the name of the spiritual guru. In 2012, he applied for an all-India licence from Buldhana district, also in Maharashtra, and got the same in his name. Probably he used the same (weapon) for committing suicide," Deputy Inspector General Harinarayan Chari Mishra told PTI.
Bhaiyyu Maharaj, who was also into social work, used to often visit the two districts in Maharashtra as he had a number of relatives there, police said.
The 50-year-old popular spiritual leader allegedly shot himself at his residence here on June 12 and a purported suicide note mentioned stress as the reason.
His original name was Udaysingh Deshmukh, and he hailed from a family of landlords in Madhya Pradesh's Shujalpur.
The police had seized the revolver and the bullet recovered from the spot and sent them for forensic examination.
Meanwhile, police have recorded the statements of Kuhu (Bhaiyyu Maharaj's daughter from his first marriage), his second wife Ayushi, close aide Vinayak Dudhade, his driver and other persons considered close to him as part of an investigation into the incident, an official said.
The statements of some of them confirmed that the godman, whose followers included top politicians, was tense and under stress, he said.
Initial investigations revealed there was a discord in the family of Bhaiyyu Maharaj after his second marriage last year, the official said.
Reportedly, the suicide note also mentioned the godman's financial powers, property and bank accounts, among other things, would be entrusted with his close aide Vinayak Dudhade, who was with him for the last 15 years.
The police are also collecting information related to Bhaiyyu Maharaj's properties in other states, he said.
A trust was established by Bhaiyyu Maharaj on March 21, 1999, and it has 11 trustees.
It runs various welfare programmes in Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and other states in the areas of agriculture and water conservation, among others.