MEERUT, Oct. 19 -- Muzaffarnagar police have arrested a man and his son for allegedly murdering an 81-year-old ascetic after he predicted that the son's pregnant wife would give birth to a boy, but she delivered a girl. The accused allegedly shot Devanand Bharti dead inside a Shiva temple and planted a photograph of their neighbour at the crime scene to implicate him, said police. The accused, identified as Hashim and his son Zeeshan, both residents of Bhaurakalan village, were arrested from the Sisoli Mor intersection on Shikarpur Road on Friday. Police said the photograph planted to mislead investigators eventually became a crucial clue that helped them crack the case. SP (rural) Akshay Sanjay Mahadik said the investigation revealed that Zeeshan's wife had been pregnant when he approached Bharti at a temple. The ascetic had predicted that the couple would have a son. However, the woman gave birth to a daughter about a month ago, allegedly prompting Zeeshan to develop a grudge against him. Zeeshan was also allegedly embroiled in a dispute with his neighbour, Harendra. According to police, the father and son allegedly conspired to kill the ascetic and frame Harendra by planting his photograph at the crime scene. The murder took place around 8 pm on October 13 inside the domed Shiva temple on Kurawa Road in Bhaurakalan village. The assailants allegedly got the room opened before shooting Bharti in the chest with a country-made pistol, said police. Mausam Ali, a PRD personnel deployed on duty at the adjoining Industrial Training Institute (ITI), saw the two assailants fleeing on a motorcycle, police said. Senior superintendent of police Suraj Rai had constituted three teams to investigate the murder. During the investigation, police recovered a passport-sized photograph from the crime scene and launched efforts to identify the person in it. Inquiries were conducted in Bhaurakalan, Sisoli, Kharad, Jaitpur, Kurawa and Mundbhar. Police also questioned photographers across the region and people who brought supplies from Delhi. Investigators eventually found that the accused had taken Harendra's photograph from his mobile phone status and got it printed at a shop in the village. Tracing the shop provided a crucial breakthrough in the case. As police zeroed in on the suspects, the accused allegedly attempted to flee but were caught at Shikarpur Mor. DSP Narendra Singh Yadav, Bhaurakalan SHO Pramod Kumar and Titawi SHO Jaiveer Singh said technical assistance obtained through the Yaksh app also played an important role in solving the case. Police recovered a motorcycle allegedly used in the crime, two .315-bore country-made pistols and four live cartridges from the accused. Meanwhile, after the post-mortem examination, police kept Bharti's body in preservation for 72 hours while attempting to establish contact with his relatives....