The incident took place on Sunday and an FIR has been registered against an unidentified biker with whom the victim, Lalta Prasad, was last seen.
Prasad, a resident of Narayanpur Kala and an on-call exorcist for almost a decade, was approached by the youth on Sunday.
According to Pratapgarh Superintendent of Police (SP), Abhishek Singh, "The youth wanted Prasad to accompany him to Khakhapur village for an exorcism job. As they approached the Bari Nahar bridge in Fatahanpur, the youth asked Prasad, who was riding pillion, to get off his bike. Prasad did as told and was shot in the chest from close range."
The biker escaped before the villagers working in a nearby field rushed to the bridge after hearing the gunshot. They informed the police who took Prasad to a hospital where he was declared brought dead.
Prasad's family members said that they had seen the biker hovering near his house for the past three days.
"It is clear that the man was doing a recce with the intent to kill. We are probing his motive," the SP said.
A police team has been formed to crack the case and the family members are being interrogated to find the motive behind the crime.
( With inputs from IANS )