Baripada: In a horrific incident, an eight-year-old girl was brutally raped and strangled to death at Garudabasa village near Betnoti in Mayurbhanj district Friday.
The villagers were busy celebrating Raja festival when the incident happened, reports said.
The police arrested the accused, identified as Jamini Mahanta, a resident of the same village, Saturday.
According to reports, the girl was on her way to celebrate Raja festival with her friends Friday afternoon. Her family members launched a search when she did not return home till evening. Meanwhile, some locals who saw Mahanta taking to the girl on his bicycle Friday evening, informed the girl’s family members.
The villagers questioned Mahanta and when he didn’t give proper answers, they thrashed him. Later Mahanta confessed to his crime.
Mahanta confessed that he offered sweets to the girl before taking her to a secluded place, where he had committed the crime. After raping and killing her, he dumped the girl’s body in a nearby forest.
The villagers rushed to the spot and recovered the body.
After getting information, a police team reached the village and launched a probe.
The body was seized and sent for post-mortem. A case has been registered in this connection and Mahanta would be produced in court, police said.
Preliminary investigation revealed that Mahanta was earlier jailed for raping a girl in the locality. He was released two months back on bail and had gone to Bangalore to work as a labourer. He had returned home for Raja festival two days ago.
PNN