A Hindu Mahasabha leader and Nathuram Godse fan who observes Mahatma Gandhi’s death anniversary by firing at his effigy allegedly got a man half her age murdered for refusing to marry her.

Police are looking for the saffron-robed Hindu Mahasabha national secretary, Puja Shakun Pandey aka Annapurna Bharati, 48 — who is already married — in connection with the murder of her associate and party worker Abhishek Gupta, 25.

Puja’s fifty-something husband and Mahasabha member Ashok Pandey and two alleged contract killers, Mohammad Fazal and Mohammad Asif, were arrested on Thursday, Aligarh senior superintendent of police Neeraj Jadaun said.

He said the police began looking for Puja after interrogating them but she went into hiding. He did not clarify the motive behind the murder.

Abhishek’s father Neeraj Gupta told reporters: “Puja was already married to Ashok but they both wanted my son to marry her and make her his business partner. Abhishek told us she was pressuring him every day.”

Abhishek had recently opened a motorcycle showroom in Khair area of Aligarh. He was boarding a local bus on September 26 night after closing his showroom when he was shot from behind.

“The contract killers took ₹1 lakh in advance and were to receive ₹2 lakh more after the job was done,” SSP Jadaun said.

A few hours before the murder, Puja allegedly addressed a Dharm Sansad in Iglas, Aligarh, and urged Hindus to unite against Muslims.

Puja has been calling herself a sanyasin since the influential Niranjani Akhara made her an honorary mahamandaleshwar (supreme sadhu) in 2021.

She used to celebrate Gandhi’s martyrdom day, January 30, as “Shaurya Divas” (Valour Day) and fire with a toy pistol at an effigy of the Mahatma.

She would garland a statue of Godse — who was associated with the Hindu Mahasabha — while chanting “Gandhi murdabad, Mahatma Godse zindabad”.

The police had in 2019 filed an FIR against her, Ashok and 10 others for vitiating the atmosphere but nobody was arrested.

A Mahasabha source close to Puja said she and Ashok had for many years kept their marriage a secret. It’s only when Puja — who has houses at many places — moved in with Ashok at his Aligarh home a few years ago that the cat was out of the bag.

“Ashok used to earlier address her as ‘Mata’ (Mother). We came to know only a few years ago that they were man and wife and had two children, enrolled in schools in some other city,” the source said.

Sources said Puja had joined the Mahasabha in 2016. Earlier, she briefly taught mathematics at a private college in Ghaziabad.

Hindu Mahasabha vice-president Gajendra Pal Singh said: “Puja, Ashok and Abhishek were close to me. I can’t believe that Puja organised this crime. We are waiting for the evidence to be made public.”