A 73-year-old priest was shot dead on Sunday morning at the Kabir Baba Temple in Rajakpatti, ward 8 of Bodebarsain Municipality, Saptari.

The victim, identified as Ramdular Sah, was killed after an unidentified group shot him in the back, said his family member Ramsundar Sah. The priest had been living alone in a small hut near the temple, situated on the eastern edge of the village.

Locals reported the incident to the nearby Kachanli Police Post shortly after the shooting. Police teams from the District Police Office, Saptari and the Area Police Office, Kadarbona, reached the site and began an investigation.

Two bullet casings were recovered from the scene, according to police. The body has been sent to BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences in Dharan for postmortem, said Superintendent of Police Gautam Kumar KC, chief of the District Police Office, Saptari.

Police have intensified manhunt in areas along the Nepal-India border to locate the suspects.