BALASORE: A man allegedly raped and murdered a nine-year-old girl in an abandoned house, a few kilometers away from Remuna block headquarters in Balasore district.
Remuna police arrested the accused Rabi Singh (42) of Baghamara village under Nilagiri police limits following the complaint of the deceased's father on Friday morning.
Police sources said Singh lured the minor girl to Emami Chhak on the pretext of providing her tiffin and then took her to an abandoned house where he allegedly raped and murdered the girl on August 28.
Inspector-in-charge of Remuna police station, Ranju Hasini Kullu, said the accused and the complainant are close friends and spend time together.
"On August 28, the accused came to the complainant's house in the morning and spent several hours. He then asked his friend to take her daughter to Emami Chhak on the pretext of giving her snacks. As the minor girl and the accused did not return home till evening, her family members searched several places throughout the night. Her father lodged a missing complaint the next day," the police official said.
Remuna police launched a manhunt to locate the accused and nabbed him from the Nilagiri area. He confessed to the crime during the interrogation.
"He admitted that he brought the minor girl to an abandoned house near Remuna and committed rape before killing her. After the offense, he left the body in the house and fled," said Kullu.
The IIC said a case under section 103 (I) Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) has been registered. The accused will be produced in court after a medical check-up. The body has been recovered and sent for autopsy. A scientific team has visited the spot and collected evidence said the police officer.
Tension flared up in Remuna and Nilagiri areas after the news spread. The deceased's father has demanded capital punishment for his accused friend.