BARGARH/BHUBANESWAR: In a shocking incident, a youth raped a four-year-old girl and crushed her head with a stone after committing the heinous crime in a village under the Paikmal police station of Bargarh district. The bone-chilling crime occurred on Friday.
The body of the deceased minor was found in a naked state in Soda forest near Mahulpali village. The 20-year-old accused, identified as Prashant Bariha, was later arrested by police. He was produced before a special POCSO court in on Saturday evening.
Bargarh SP Prahllad Meena informed that Prashant worked as a farm labourer with the victim’s family in Mahulpali. Around noon, he took three kids from the village on the pretext of fishing. Later, he asked two of them to go home and when he got an opportunity, he raped the minor girl in a secluded place in the forest. The 20-year-old then smashed the head of the child with a rock and killed her.
While the accused committed the heinous crime and fled, parents of the victim, unaware of the gruesome crime, kept searching for the child. Meanwhile, after the incident, Prashant returned home. When the victim’s family reached his place and confronted him about the girl’s whereabouts, he confessed to the crime.
By that time, police were also informed and based on evidence, the accused was arrested. A dog squad and scientific team were also pressed at the crime scene.
SP Meena said, Prashant said he committed the crime over a past monetary dispute. “We will interrogate him for more information after seeking his custody later,” he added.
Police said the scientific team matched the blood sample of the deceased with blood stains found on the face and clothes of the accused. They also collected the rock used in the crime. The evidence confirmed the detained man was behind the crime, police said.
Padampur SDPO, BB Bhoi said, the primary investigation revealed the accused first raped the child and then murdered her. “The body of the deceased was handed over to the family on Saturday after post mortem. The accused has confessed to the crime and the weapon of offence has also been recovered by the scientific team,” he added.