A man was arrested for allegedly raping cows at a shelter in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh.

The accused, identified as Rajkumar, was caught red handed by volunteers of the shelter, run by Kartaliya Baba Ashram.

The volunteers were keeping a vigil on the shelter after they came across CCTV footage showing the man raping several cows.

The accused was caught when he returned to the shelter and attempted to rape cows again. Rajkumar was reportedly beaten up by those who caught him before being handed over to the police.

The man has been arrested and booked under sections 376 and 511 of the Indian Penal Code for cruelty against animals, Ayodhya SSP Jogendra Kumar said.

The Kartaliya Baba Ashram's priest Ramdas is inconsolable.

"CCTV footage shows the man doing unspeakable acts with seven cows one by one. We have caught him and brought to the police station. The act has left us distraught, we are unable to understand this," the teary-eyed priest said.

The accused, who hails from Gonda in Nawabganj, claims that he was under the influence of alcohol.

"I was drunk, I don't know what I did, I only remember that I was beaten by both, people who caught me and the police," Rajkumar told India Today TV.