CUTTACK: In a shocking incident, a priest allegedly sacrificed a 52-year-old man inside a temple at Bandhahuda in Cuttack district to appease the goddess for keeping the coronavirus at bay.
Police sources said Sansari Ojha, 70, allegedly decapitated the man on the premises of Maa Bramhanidei Temple on Wednesday night believing the sacrifice will reduce the impact of the pandemic.
The deceased has been identified as Saroj Pradhan of the same village. He used to work in his agricultural land near the temple and take rest on its premises. The accused locked the door of his restroom from outside immediately after committing the crime and went to the police station to surrender.
“The priest beheaded Pradhan with the help of a chopper inside his restroom adjacent to the temple. He surrendered before Narasighpur police at midnight," Athagarh SDPO Alok Ranjan Ray said.
Ojha claimed that he was divinely ordained by the goddess four days back to offer a sacrifice to keep the coronavirus at bay. Hence, to appease the goddess, he decapitated the man, Ray said.
Acting on the confessional statement of the accused, police rushed to the spot, opened the priest's restroom and recovered the beheaded body. The chopper lying near it was also seized.
“A scientific team has visited the spot. We are investigating the crime from different angles. Though the accused has confessed to carrying out a human sacrifice to appease the goddess for keeping coronavirus at bay, we suspect he may have killed Pradhan after a sudden provocation as both had shared weed in the restroom,” Ray added. The body has been sent for postmortem and further investigations are on.