Rajasthan: The priest was found lying in a pool of blood, said police. (Representational)
A 40-year-old priest was found dead and the idol of a deity was reported missing from inside a temple in Bundi district of the state, police said on Tuesday.
Vivekanand Sharma, who had been serving as a priest at the Dobra Mahadev temple located on Taragarh hilltop, was found lying in a pool of blood on Monday, they said.
A police team along with senior officials rushed to the spot after getting information about the incident.
It is likely that the priest was killed while protecting the idol, Additional Superintendent of Police of Bundi, Kishori Lal said.
Upon inspecting the injuries on the priest's body, it is believed that there were two or more attackers, Superintendent of Police of Bundi, Jai Yadav said.
Meanwhile, a protest was staged by some community members who refused to allow the post-mortem of the body until the authorities announced monetary compensation and a contractual job to a family member of the priest, police said.
The district administration agreed to the demands following which the autopsy was done, they said.
A case of murder has been registered against the unidentified accused, the SP said, adding efforts are underway to detain them.
The body was handed over to the family on Tuesday morning, they said.
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