Patna/Muzaffarpur, July 3: Criminals murdered a priest, critically injured his assistant and stole precious idols from a temple in Muzaffarpur district late last night.

The injured priest, is battling for life in a local hospital. The criminals escaped with the idols of Ram, Lakshman and Sita made of astadhatu.

On Saturday night, at least six criminals barged into the Ram Janki temple at Gaurihar Mun village, 80km north of Patna under the jurisdiction of Sakra police station, to steal the precious idols.

When chief priest Ram Ishwar Das (75) resisted, the criminals strangled him to death.

Assistant priest Hriday Das (70) was assaulted when he tried to save his senior.

The attackers bundled both priests into a vehicle and dumped them at a maize field on the outskirts of the village.

They also took away the idols. Local residents found the priests at about 5am on Sunday.

A large number of people gathered at the site and informed the Bariyarpur police outpost. A police team visited the site and admitted Hriday to the local primary health centre. His condition is stated to be serious. Muzaffarpur deputy superintendent of police (east) Ajay Kumar rushed to the spot.

Some residents caught a villager, Sidheshwar Ram, thrashed him and handed him over to the cops.

A police source said Hriday had revealed Sidheshwar's name to some residents.

"Senior police officers are interrogating the suspect. Raids are on to arrest the culprits on the basis of his statement," an investigating officer said.

The incident sent shockwaves among residents, and many shouted slogans against the police for failure to check rising crime.

"Forget human beings, even Gods are not safe in Bihar these days," said octogenarian Ram Janam Singh, a frequent visitor to the temple.

On April 22, the chief priest of a mutt and Bharat Sadhu Samaj state president Brijnandan Das (60) was shot dead by a gang when he was meditating in his room at Purnahia Bazaar in neighbouring Sheohar district.

The Opposition raised a hue and cry over the murder of Brijnandan, who had earlier survived three attacks and whose cousin had named a suspect in the murder FIR.

The police have failed to make any breakthrough in that case though a land dispute is suspected to be the motive.

"The way the case is being handled indicates a nexus of the land mafia with the local police," a resident said on condition of anonymity.