BARGARH: The injury-ridden body of a missing 17-year-old girl from Bargarh was found in a forest within Burla police limits in Sambalpur district on Sunday afternoon.
The minor, a resident of Bargarh town, had reportedly run away with her lover after stealing Rs 20,000 from her home on March 20. Police have detained her 23-year-old alleged boyfriend for questioning.
Sources said after failing to trace the girl, her family members lodged a missing complaint with Bargarh town police. As part of investigation, police tracked the minor’s mobile phone and traced it to the forest, around 1 km from Zero Point in Burla.
On reaching the forest, the cops found the girl’s decomposed body with multiple injury marks. The body was seized and sent to the hospital for autopsy.
Bargarh sub-divisional police officer (SDPO) Padarabinda Tripathy said there were multiple cut injuries on the head, face, neck and both the hands, suggesting a brutal attack on the victim. It appears she strongly resisted the attack but was overpowered. The face was partially mutilated due to the assault.
“The body had begun to decay. The victim was likely killed on the same day she went missing, as her body was already infested with maggots. Due to the presence of maggots, the autopsy could not be conducted today. We are waiting for the autopsy report to ascertain sexual assault on the girl,” he said.
The SDPO further said the youth with whom the victim had eloped has been detained and is being interrogated. “We suspect the involvement of another person in the incident. Efforts are underway to identify and apprehend the other accused. Further investigation is underway.”