BALASORE: Jaleswar police on Saturday detained three persons, including a woman, in connection with the alleged rape and murder of a 14-year-old girl.
Police arrested the prime accused, Chandrakanta (23) of Sultanpur village, on Friday. He was remanded in judicial custody after a court rejected his bail application.
Police said the three persons were detained for questioning based on the complaint lodged by the victim’s parents to ascertain their possible involvement in the case.
Meanwhile, Congress leader Sudarshan Das, Bhograi BJD MLA Goutam Buddha Das and several activists have demanded capital punishment for the prime accused and life imprisonment for others involved in the crime. They said stringent punishment would serve as a deterrent against such incidents.
The victim’s parents had lodged a missing complaint at Nampo outpost on October 16 and reportedly named a suspect. However, neither the sub-inspector nor the IIC allegedly made any significant effort to trace the girl.
Balasore SP Pratyush Diwakar on Friday suspended Nampo outpost sub-inspector Karan Marandi and transferred Jaleswar police station inspector-in-charge Ashok Barik to the district police headquarters.
The girl’s decomposed body was found beneath a tree at Dherapada, along the road connecting Shulashanda and Bartana villages under Bartana gram panchayat, on Thursday.
It was also alleged that police had brought the accused to the police station for questioning on several occasions but released him without taking any action.
Preliminary investigation revealed that the girl had left home on October 16 to attend a dance class with the accused but did not return. The accused reportedly took her to an isolated location and sexually assaulted her. He then reportedly killed her after she threatened to inform her parents about the assault.