Muzaffarpur: The wife of a temple priest was allegedly raped and murdered in a village in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.

The 35-year-old woman was missing since Saturday evening after she left home for some work. She was found strangulated to death in semi-nude condition on the field in Rajputana Majra village of Muzaffarnagar district.

All signs indicate she was first raped and then murdered, police said, agencies reported.

The body has been sent for postmortem, police said, adding investigation is underway.

Meanwhile, angry locals protested and blocked the district’s road for some time in connection with the incident, but were later pacified.