A 25-year-old Indian pilgrim was hacked to death with a sharp weapon following a dispute among members of a pilgrimage group at Madhuganga Mahadev temple in ward 2 of Dudhauli Municipality, Sindhuli, on Monday.

The deceased has been identified as Pankaj Kumar Bhagat from Bhawdevpur, ward 11 of Sitamarhi district, Bihar, according to Superintendent of Police Lal Dhwaj Subedi, chief of the District Police Office, Sindhuli. His identity was confirmed after his elder brother, Ranjit Bhagat, came forward to identify the body.

Police recovered weapons from the incident site in Lamidada near the temple. Preliminary investigation suggests the attackers are also Indian nationals. A search is underway to locate them.

In a separate incident, another man aged around 50 to 55, also found dead near the temple premises, remains unidentified as of Tuesday.