Balasore, Oct 23 The prime accused in the alleged rape and murder of a 14-year-old girl in Odisha’s Balasore district was arrested on Friday, while a police officer was suspended for alleged negligence in handling the case, officials said.
The girl’s half-burnt body was found in a bushy area near her village. She had been missing since the evening of October 16, following which a case was registered at the Jaleswar police station, they said.
SP Pratyush Diwaker said the accused allegedly strangled the girl to death on October 16 after she resisted his advances.
“When he failed to convince the minor girl to agree to a physical relationship with him, and she resisted, saying, ‘I don’t like you’, he strangled her to death in a fit of rage,” he said.
The investigation is underway to establish further details of the case, he added.
Sub-inspector Karan Marandi, in-charge of the Nampo police outpost, was suspended for alleged negligence in handling the case, while Ashok Kumar Barik, inspector-in-charge of Jaleswar police station, was transferred to the district police headquarters, the SP said.
Angry villagers blocked a road on Friday morning, demanding a speedy trial.
The victim’s aunt alleged that despite informing the police about the suspected abduction, the prime accused had been released after being detained for two days.
Meanwhile, the Opposition Congress, which sent a fact-finding team to the girl’s village, demanded a Crime Branch probe into the incident and blamed the local police for the alleged rape and murder.
The party also sought compensation of Rs 50 lakh for the victim’s family and strict action against the police personnel concerned and the accused.
(PTI News)
