BHUBANESWAR:The body of a minor boy was found inside a forest near Chatabar market in Angarpada village under Chandaka police limits here on Monday morning.
A group of firewood collectors spotted the body at around 10 am and informed the police.
There were burn injuries on the thigh and abdomen of the body which had started to decompose, the police said.
According to circumstantial evidences, the boy was either strangulated or poisoned before being set on fire. Sources said the boy, aged around five years, was not a resident of Angarpada or adjoining villages.
The Commissionerate of Police has started verifying missing reports lodged with Twin City police stations and those in neighbouring districts.
Ruling out the probability of human sacrifice, Bhubaneswar DCP Satyabrata Bhoi said, “The incident could be the result of internal dispute between families which led to abduction and then killing.”
Sources said if there are no claimants of the body, the police would circulate pictures of the boy to ascertain his identity. Chandaka police registered a case in this connection and the body was sent for autopsy.