Berhampur/Jagatsinghpur: Two minor girls were raped and murdered in separate incidents in the State on Thursday. The matter came to light on Friday after the victims were traced.
A minor girl of a slum in Bhanjanagar of Ganjam district fell victim to unidentified miscreants. The victim’s father Bhusan filed a police case stating that both of them had gone to work in their agricultural field on Thursday and after completing the work, she left for home while Bhusan stayed back. After Bhusan returned home late in the night and did not find her, he along with some villagers searched for the girl. When they did not find her, Bhusan lodged a police complaint.
On Friday morning, when some villagers were passing through a mango orchard near the slum, they found the girl lying dead with her hands and legs tied.
Police reached the spot and sent the body for postmortem. As the body bore injury marks, Bhusan alleged that she was raped and killed.
Police said preliminary investigation revealed that the girl was raped and strangulated. Further investigation is on.
In Jagatsinghpur, a seven-year-old girl of Mannumahala village had left for a shop near her house to buy ration. She was staying with her mother as her father worked in Saudi Arabia.
When the girl did not return home till late in the evening, her mother and neighbours started a frantic search. Late in the night, the villagers found her lying unconscious and her body bore several injury marks. They admitted her to the Tendakuda primary health centre where the doctors asked them to shift her to SCB Medical at Cuttack after her condition deteriorated. She died while on the way to Cuttack. Police suspect that the girl was gangraped and strangulated.
Tension prevailed in the village following the incident. After preliminary investigation, police nabbed one Shaikh Akil (24) of the same village.
SP Satybrat Bhoi said besides Akil, another person was involved in the crime and is absconding. Efforts are on to nab him, he added.