A 70-year-old priest was arrested for allegedly
sacrificing a 52-year-old man inside a temple in Odisha's Cuttack district to
appease the goddess and end the coronavirus pandemic. Priest Sansari Ojha
engaged at Brahmani Dei Temple in Bandhahuda area under Narasinghpur police
station allegedly beheaded a man inside the shrine on Wednesday night, said
police on Thursday. Later, the priest surrendered before the police. The
deceased has been identified as Saroj Pradhan. The priest claimed he was ordered
by the goddess in his dream to sacrifice a human in order to bring an end to
the pandemic, the police said. "The priest claimed that he saw Goddess in his
dream and was asked to sacrifice a human's life to bring to an end to
coronavirus. Hence, to appease the goddess, he decapitated the man," said Alok
Ranjan Ray, Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) of Athagarh. (IANS)