The 'mahant' (priest) of Ram Janki Math in Bihar's Muzaffarpur district was found dead under mysterious circumstances on Sunday, police said.
Police suspected that the mahant, identified as Kaushal Kishor Das, was murdered.
Speaking to reporters, Muzaffarpur (East) Additional Superintendent of Police Shahryar Akhtar said, "The mahant's body was found near a river close to his house in Bahadurpur area under the jurisdiction of Minapur-Panapur police station."
"His family members had earlier informed the police that the mahant had been missing since this morning. The body has been sent for post-mortem examination, and further investigation is underway," he said.
Prima facie, it appears to be a case of murder, the ASP said, adding that forensic experts have been engaged to assist the investigators.