A murder investigation is currently being processed in India after a priest cut off a man’s head as part of a ritual sacrifice to ward off the coronavirus.

72-year-old Sansari Ojha, a holy man, was arrested for killing a man inside a temple to appease the gods in an effort to get rid of the global coronavirus crisis.

The bizarre claims are emerging from a small town in India.

The priest, who belongs to a Brahman temple, butchered 52-year-old Saroj Kumar Pradhan, with an axe after an argument broke out between them.

A heated argument between the 2 led Ojha to hack Pradhan with an axe.

The victim died on the spot.

According to reports, the incident happened on May 27, 2020, in the Cuttack District of Odisha.

It was reported that Ojha surrendered to Narasinghpur police the morning after the incident.

The police said that the killing happened at the Bandha Maa Budha Brahmani Dei temple, near Bandhahuda.

India Today, a local news agency in India said that the priest told the police he carried out the crime after dreaming about similar orders from god, according to which the coronavirus will be dispelled on human sacrifice.

The axe that was used by the priest to murder Pradhan has been seized by the police

Police DIG Central Range Ashish Kumar Singh said:

Preliminary investigation reveals the accused was heavily drunk at the time of incident. The next morning when he came back to his senses he surrendered and accepted the crime.

He added that the incident remains under investigation.

The body of the victim has been sent for post-mortem.