ANGUL: Angul police has arrested a youth for the gruesome rape and murder of a 35-year-old woman whose body was found with her intestines sticking out at an under-construction anganwadi centre in Pallahara area on February 21.
Police on Monday said the accused, 26-year-old Aju Naik, was a close friend of the victim’s husband and his family. He committed the chilling crime in Nandinipali village, around five km from Pallahara town.
The victim, her husband and four children originally belonged to Nandinipali but lived in nearby Haripur village where the couple grazed cattle and goats. On February 20, she had come to her native village to collect her quota of rice provided under the public distribution system (PDS).
Police said in the evening, she went out with Aju, who was a family friend, in search of liquor. The accused was already drunk but the woman was unaware of it. When the duo reached the half-constructed anganwadi centre of the village, Aju pulled her inside and sexually assaulted her.
When the woman threatened to tell her husband about the incident, the accused panicked. He picked up a brick and smashed her head with it. When the victim fell down, he strangled her to death. After killing the woman, Aju repeatedly jumped on her body resulting in her intestines spilling out. The accused then left the spot, cleaned his body of the woman’s blood and went home, said police.
Pallahara IIC Pradeep Mohanta said in the evening of February 21, police got information about the woman’s mutilated body lying in the anganwadi centre. After seizing the body for postmortem, police launched an investigation with the help of scientific team and sniffer dog.
The IIC said the accused had fled to Deogarh after committing the crime. He returned home on Saturday following which police nabbed him. Aju is a native of Pallahara town but was staying in his relative’s house at Nandinipali for the last several years.
Mohanta said during interrogation, the accused confessed to his crime. He was arrested and produced in court on Sunday.
Though gang-rape has been ruled out in the incident, investigation is underway to ascertain if any other person assisted in the crime, he added.