A man was lynched for 'sacrificing' a seven-year-old child in Rampur Gaunariya village in Deoria district of Uttar Pradesh on Monday.

A sadhu had advised Ram Pravesh, 22, to sacrifice a human in order to tide over his problems, according to police.

"Under the influence of that sadhu, Ram Pravesh enticed Sonu, the son of a neighbour, to a nearby field and beheaded him with a sickle," the police said.

Pravesh confessed after the villagers confronted him. He also took them to the spot where he had killed the child. The angry villagers then beat Pravesh to death.