India, Aug. 22 -- In a suspected case of occult practice, a man in Odisha's Bolangir district allegedly beheaded a resident of a neighbouring village and buried the head in his puja room in an attempt to win back his estranged wife, police said.

The matter came to light last Thursday, Aug 21st after the decapitated body of Santosh Kharsel (45), a resident of Tebadamunda village, missing since August 18, was recovered from a pond in Bagada village.

Investigation revealed the victim was last seen with Satrughna Sahu (40). Sahu was detained and during interrogation he confessed to the crime- initially claiming the killing followed an intense argument after drinking liquor, a police officer said. Under further questioning, he admitted the a...