JAJPUR: A spurned lover slit the throat of a schoolgirl at Aswathapal village within Tomka police limits here, police said on Thursday.
The accused is 21-year-old Chandra Sekhar Palei alias Pechu.
Though the incident took place on Wednesday, it came to light after the victim lodged a complaint with the police on Thursday.
The girl has been admitted to a local hospital and her condition is stated to be critical.
Police said Pechu fell in love with the girl, who is a Class VII student of Aswathapal Nodal Primary School.
When the 13-year-old girl ignored him, he slit her throat with a sharp metal wire, leaving her critically injured.
“This is a case of one-sided love. When the girl did not reciprocate, the accused got enraged and seeking revenge, he attacked the girl. The crime took place inside the school campus,” said Tomka IIC Sanghamitra Nayak.
Basing on the complaint filed by the victim’s family, police arrested Pechu on Thursday. He was produced in court and remanded in judicial custody.