BULANDSHAHR: The youth, accused of murdering two temple priests in Bulandshahr district of Uttar Pradesh on Monday night, claimed on Tuesday that he just "carried out God's will".

The priests, identified at Jagdish (55) and Sher Singh (45), were found murdered at Paguana village's Shiva temple in Anupshahr police station area in the morning.

The duo was apparently hit with a lathi, police said. The accused has been identified as Murari alias Raju.

Murari, allegedly under the influence of cannabis, was caught near the temple soon after the priests were found dead in the temple.

According to Uttar Pradesh Police, Murari was accused by the sadhus two days ago of stealing a pair of tongs used by them.

Senior officers rushed to the spot and questioned the man, who told them that after taking “bhang” on Monday night he went to the temple and killed the sadhus with a lathi lying there.

According to one official, the intoxicated youth said he carried out “God's will”, denying he had any quarrel with the priests.

The senior official said the youth will be interrogated at length later as he was still under the influence of the drug.

Villagers caught the youth when he was spotted roaming naked about 2km from the scene of the crime, police said. Some reports said he was carrying a sword and initially police said the two priests were hacked to death.

Chief minister Yogi Adityanath has directed strict action in the case and sought a detailed report from officials.