Patna, Dec 5 (IANS) A man was arrested in Bihar Friday on charges of stealing a body from a graveyard, police said.

The incident was reported from Katihar district. 

District police official Suresh Manjhi said: "Some villagers near Mnihari caught a man, who was allegedly digging a grave, and handed him over to police."

The man was identified as Animesh Mandal, he said, adding: "We have arrested him." 

"Mandal accepted that he used to steal bodies from graveyards to use bones and brains for manufacturing special medicines and offering some rituals," the official said.

Manjhi said police have launched a probe into the case.

Last month, miscreants dug out five bodies from a graveyard in Purnea district.

Police officials suspect a gang of smugglers was behind the disappearance of the bodies.