A 14-year-old deaf and blind girl was raped and murdered at Beladal village under Puri Sadar police station on Wednesday night. Her body was found in a cashewnut orchard along the Puri-Konark Marine Drive on Thursday morning.
According to the victim’s father Guna Patra, his family members were all sleeping inside their thatched house when around midnight, he woke up to some strange noise and barking of dogs. He then found door of the house open and his daughter missing. Though the family searched for the girl, they could not trace her till her body was found in the orchard at 10 am on Thursday.
As soon as the news spread, angry villagers staged a road blockade along with the body of the girl on the Puri-Konark Marine Drive demanding immediate arrest of the accused. They also sought adequate compensation for the family of the deceased. Till the report was filed, the villagers had not handed over the body to police for post mortem.
Debashish Rath of Childline, a voluntary organisation working on children related issues, said the girl had become blind due to a growing tumour in her brain. “Since her parents are very poor, we had admitted her in a super-speciality hospital where her tumour was removed recently and she was recovering,” he said.
Inspector of Sadar police station Susil Kumar Mishra said involvement of more than two persons in the case is suspected. Forensic experts have been pressed into investigation. SP Anup Kumar Sahoo also visited the spot from where the body was recovered and assured that the accused will be arrested soon.
Four months back, a four-year-old girl was also raped near Baliguali village under similar circumstances.