Minor girl raped and later killed by 20-year-old youth

He is a neighbour of the child, the police officer said

A 20-year-old youth allegedly raped a girl between three and four years old in a village in Gumla district, the police said Monday.

Superintendent of Police Anusham Kumar said that after getting the information the police reached the spot Monday morning and sent the body for post-mortem.

He said that one Bandana Oraon, who is absconding after the incident, took the child to his house Sunday night on the pretext of giving chocolate and perpetrated the crime under Puso police station.

He is a neighbour of the child, the police officer said. Search is on to trace the accused, he said.

In a similar incident, a nine-year-old girl was allegedly raped and murdered at Hatpada in Kotagarh area of Odisha's Kandhamal district, police said Sunday. The incident took place when the girl, a student of class four, had gone for a bath to a nearby nullah after returning home from school on Saturday, Additional Superintendent of Police U R Das said.

When the girl did not return home for a long time, her father lodged a complaint with Kotagarh police station. Later in the evening, villagers spotted her body lying half-naked near a bush with blood and injury marks, the police said.

With the family members of the girl and villagers alleging that she was raped and murdered, the body was sent for autopsy and scientific investigation was on, they said.

Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) of Balliguda Nitin Kusalkar, said a man identified as Gagan Pradhan, aged around 30, has been arrested in connection with the crime.

In the aftermath of the incident, tension prevailed in Kotagarh town and adjoining areas with angry people resorting to road blockade demanding immediate arrest of the culprit and adequate compensation to the bereaved family.

(With Inputs from PTI)

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