Man's headless body found near temple in Kolkata

The headless torso of a man was discovered near a Kali temple in Bolpur of West Bengal's Birbum district Thursday, raising suspicion among locals that he was the victim of a religious sacrifice to propitiate the goddess.

The unidentified man, in his mid-thirties, was found lying in a pool of blood close to the temple gate.

Bolpur sub-divisional police officer Kalyan Roy, however, described it as a case of murder. "There were injuries on his arms and face. We have registered a murder case".

Local residents panicked as word spread that the man had been beheaded as part of a tantrik ritual.