Rourkela: Brahmanitarang police Thursday arrested Bidu Mahali (20) on the charge of raping and killing his four-year-old niece under the influence of alcohol Monday at Khairabandh village of Birkera panchayat in Sundargarh district.
The accused, who confessed to have committed the crime, was produced in a court after his medical examination, The police said.
Though he had lured another girl along with his niece to satiate his lust, the girl somehow escaped from the spot, the police added.
According to reports, Bidu, a resident of Baneikela village, had come to his sister’s house at Khairabandha along with other relatives to witness a local festival.
After the rituals, all the family members attended a community feast in the village. However, Bidu had drunk heavily before taking his meal.
In an inebriated state, he lured his niece along with one of her friends to a nearby forest on some pretext. There he changed his mind and let the other girl go. But he raped the four-year-old.
As the kid started crying, the accused tried to stop her but failed. In a fit of rage, he bludgeoned her head and subsequently strangled her to death after the girl became unconscious. He dumped the body there and left for the village.
On the other hand, the family didn’t take the missing of the girls seriously expecting that she would return home next morning.
The accused also left the village with the girl’s father for the panchayat elections as if nothing had happened.
However, the family members spotted the body inside the forest later in the day and informed the police. PNN