HYDERABAD: The case of a 30-year-old woman missing from Shamshabad since June 4 has turned out to be a case of murder and deceit.

Police on Friday arrested the priest of a Mais-amma temple in Saroornagar, Ayyagari Venkat Surya Sai Krishna, for killing, Apsara a regular at the temple.

He dumped the body in a manhole outside the mandal revenue officer's office which was behind the temple he worked in.Police said Krishna was married but was having an extramarital affair with Apsara.

He killed her because she was pressuring him to leave his wife and get married to her.The accused killed the woman on June 3 by smashing her head with a stone.

To cover his tracks, he gave RGIA police a complaint on June 5, claiming that Apsara had gone missing after he had dropped her at Shamshabad on June 3.

She was supposed to leave for Bhadrachalam with her friends.

According to the complaint, Apsara stopped taking calls from June 4 and her phone was later switched off.Police said that they picked up Krishna on Thursday and started grilling him as many of the details he gave about Apsara's disappearance did not match with technical evidence, like call data.

After questioning, Krishna allegedly confessed to killing Apsara.

He also revealed he had dumped the body in a manhole behind the temple.On Friday morning, cops reached Venkateshwara Colony and recovered the decomposed body by breaking open the manhole.

"The accused confessed that the victim was forcing him to marry her.

He also said that she had an abortion in the past," Srinivas told reporters.

Apsara had left home on June 3 and told her mother that she was taking a bus to Coimbatore.

She met up with Krishna who took her to Narkhoda village in Shamshabad.

He took her to an isolated spot and killed her.

He brought it back to Saroornagar and dumped it in the manhole.