ANGUL: Shockwaves spread in Kaniha area of Angul district after a 12-year-old girl was found raped and murdered in a bush near a village under NTPC police limits on Friday morning.
Police said the girl, a Class VIII student of the local school, had gone to collect leafy greens from a nearby field. When the minor did not return home after several hours, family members became worried and launched a frantic search in the village and nearby areas. However, the girl could not be traced.
Suspecting that his daughter has been kidnapped, the girl’s father, a daily wager, filed a complaint in NTPC police station. Basing on the complaint, police registered a case under section 137 (2) of BNS and initiated a search.
On Friday morning, some locals spotted the girl’s body in a bush near the village and raised an alarm. On being informed, a police team led by Angul SP Rahul Jain rushed to the village for investigation. A scientific team and dog squad also reached the crime scene to collect evidence. The body was seized and sent to Talcher hospital for postmortem.
Following recovery of the girl’s body, the missing person case was converted into a case of rape and murder under relevant provisions of the BNS.
During investigation, police came to know about the involvement of 20-year-old Ashish Naik of the same village in the crime. After identifying Naik as the prime suspect, police went to arrest him. However, the accused had absconded by then.
Separate teams were formed to trace Naik. After conducting raids at multiple locations, the accused was nabbed from his hideout in the village, said police.
After his arrest, Naik was taken to the hospital for medical examination. He was later produced in court and remanded in judicial custody. Further investigation is underway, police added.