Angul: An eight-year-old girl was allegedly kidnapped and raped and dumped in a heap of garbage, presuming her to be dead about 400 metres from police outpost here late Saturday night.
The accused is reported to have abducted the girl to an Aahar centre near the bus-stand and raped her. Later he assaulted her brutally in a bid to kill her and dumped her on a heap of garbage before fleeing the spot.
The matter came to light after the bruised girl was rescued in a critical condition and admitted to the district headquarters hospital (DHH) here Sunday morning.
A three-member team of doctors started treating the victim who was later shifted to the SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack after her health condition deteriorated. The incident has spread shockwaves in the locality.
“We suspect that she was abducted, raped and then dumped. However, this can be confirmed only after medical examination,” Angul IIC Ramesh Chandra Bisoi told reporters.
According to sources, the girl belonging to a nomad group went missing Saturday night when she was sleeping with her family members on the verandah of a shop near Angul bus stand.
Later in the night, the miscreant forcibly took her to a secluded place and forced himself on her after beating her up mercilessly, they suggested.
When the girl fell unconscious, the accused assumed her to be dead. He then dumped her on the garbage heap and fled.
When the family members could not find the girl Sunday morning, they launched a frantic search for her. Later, they spotted her lying in a critical condition amid the garbage.
DIG Narasingha Bhol accompanied by superintendent of police Mitrabhanu Mohapatra, SDPO Aswini Sahu visited the spot. Police have launched a drive to nab the accused. Some clues have been found during preliminary investigation, stated Bhol. The girl is not in a condition to state anything now, he said.
Taking suo-motu cognizance of the case, the police Sunday registered a rape and attempt to murder case against the unknown accused, informed DIG Narasingha Bhol. A forensic team and sniffer dogs have been pressed into service.
Angul superintendent of police said three teams have been formed to probe the matter. “The accused will be nabbed soon,” the DIG told reporters.
