The crime scene at Deogaon, Bolangir, where the suspect allegedly attacked the sleeping victim before burying his severed head inside the worship area. (DC Image)

In a shocking incident driven by superstition, a man in Odisha’s Bolangir district allegedly beheaded a mentally-challenged youth as part of a human sacrifice ritual to bring back his estranged wife, police said on Friday.

The victim, identified as Santosh Kharsel of Tebadamunda village under Tushura police limits, was reportedly brought to the accused Shatrughna Sahu’s residence in Bagda village, under Deogaon police limits, and kept there before being murdered in his sleep on August 18 night.

According to investigators, the accused severed the victim's head, buried it beneath the floor of the worship area inside his home, and dumped the headless torso in a nearby village pond.

The crime came to light after local residents spotted the headless body floating in the pond and alerted the authorities.

During the subsequent probe, police traced the suspect and searched his premises, where they exhumed the buried head from the worship space.

Bolangir Superintendent of Police Abilash G confirmed that the investigation points to an act of human sacrifice rather than a conventional homicide. Police stated the accused held a long-standing belief that performing the ritual would compel his wife, who had left him nearly a decade ago, to return.

The accused was arrested and remanded in custody. Further investigation into the incident was underway.

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