Athagarh: Tension ran high at Bandhahuda village under Narasinghpur block in Odisha’s Cuttack district on Thursday after a priest of Brahmani Dei temple surrendered before the police after allegedly killing a youth inside the temple premises the previous night.
Briefing mediapersons, Sub Divisional Police Officer (SDPO), Athagarh, Alok Ranjan Ray said that the accused priest Sansari Ojha (70) during interrogation said he committed the murder after receiving the order from the Goddess in his dream that the human sacrifice will dispel the coronavirus.
Police have seized an axe used in the murder of the deceased, Saroj Kumar Pradhan (52), and further investigation is on, he added.
Sources in the village said that the priest had a long-standing dispute with the deceased over a mango orchard, on the outskirts of the village.
