27-year-old rapes, murders 4-year-old relative in Odisha; Arrested

The accused, allegedly under the influence of alcohol, lured the girl with a chocolate and told her he was taking her to a festival in their village

Published on: Apr 27, 2025, 13:45:17 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

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Bhubaneswar: A 27-year-old man was arrested in Odisha’s Ganjam district for allegedly raping and murdering his 4-year-old girl distant relative, whose body was recovered from an under-construction house on Saturday, Police said.

Police have sent the 4-year-old girl’s body to MKCG Medical College for postmortem (Pic for Representation)

“The man, a distant relative of the girl who went missing on Friday evening, has been charged under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012,” Ganjam superintendent of police (SP) Suvendu Patra said.

The accused had allegedly lured the girl with a chocolate and told her he was taking her to a festival in their village. “But he instead took her to an isolated place and attempted to rape her. He killed her by throttling her and then dumped the body. He was under the influence of liquor,” the SP said.

After a missing complaint was lodged, the police started investigating. A forensic team and dog squad with several seniors police officers visited the crime site and collected more evidence.

Also Read:5-year-old girl allegedly raped and murdered in Odisha: Police

“On grounds of suspicion, several people, including the accused, were called for interrogation. The accused was reported seen with the girl and the locals said that he used to often offer chips and toffees to the girl,” the SP added.

According to preliminary investigation, the accused was allegedly under the influence of alcohol on April 25 evening. “He had watched porn on his mobile phone before luring the girl. After dumping the dead body he consumed alcohol again,” the SP said.

Also Read:23-year-old ‘rapes’ minor in Pinjore, arrested

Police have sent the body to MKCG Medical College for postmortem. “The exact cause of the death would be ascertained only after we get the autopsy report,” the SP said.

“We are investigating all angles and interrogating villagers suspected of involvement in the gruesome incident,” the SP added.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More

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