A three-year-old girl is suspected to have been kidnapped and raped before being murdered by a man from her village in Odisha's Sambalpur district, police said Sunday.
The matter came to light after the victim's body was found in a forest Sunday about seven km from her village Budhiapali, about 355 km from state capital Bhubaneswar.
According to Additional Deputy Superintendent of Police D.K. Deo, a 30-year-old labourer, whose name was not being disclosed, lured away the girl Oct 3 when her family members were not at home.
"It appears to be case of rape and murder," Deo said.
Police launched investigation and raided different places in the region after the parents lodged a missing complaint about their daughter.