Lucknow: A 32-year-old ascetic allegedly murdered a fellow sadhu in Sherbahadurpur area of Hardoi and stayed near the body until villagers came to know about the crime on Monday.
The victim, Bablu, a resident of Jiyankhera village, was sleeping in a verandah when he was attacked around 4 am. The crime came to light around 6 am when a local shopkeeper noticed the body and alerted police.
Police said the accused, Munni alias Munshilal, repeatedly struck Bablu on the head with the blunt end of an axe before crushing his face with a brick. Police said Bablu embraced ascetic life after taking religious initiation at Budheshwar temple in Lucknow about four years ago. Officers rushed to the spot, sent the body for post-mortem and detained the accused.
He had returned from Lucknow on Friday night. Police suspect an argument broke out between the two men early on Sunday, which escalated into violence.
Preliminary investigation suggests that Munshilal reached the spot after an altercation with a woman priest at a temple in Pahi village.