Rourkela: A Class X student, who went missing on her way to school Wednesday and was later found unconscious in a forest under Bisra police limits, succumbed during treatment at Rourkela Government Hospital (RGH) early Friday.
The cause of death remains unclear, police said. The incident occurred in Jamberna village under Bisra police limits in Sundargarh district. The minor girl, a student of Sanbambua Government High School, left home Wednesday at around 9:30 am on a bicycle to attend school but did not reach the campus.
School authorities informed her family at about 3:30 pm that she was absent, prompting her family members and villagers to search in nearby areas. Later, some locals found her bicycle abandoned near the Bagdega forest road.
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Following a search, villagers located the girl in an unconscious state inside the forest around 9:30 pm. She was first admitted to the Bisra community health centre and later referred to Rourkela Government Hospital (RGH) after her condition deteriorated.
However, she died there at around 3 am Friday while undergoing treatment. Police seized her bicycle, school bag and a bottle suspected of containing poison from the spot where she was found. Though preliminary investigation suggests possible poisoning, police said no conclusion has been reached.
The girl’s father, Pahalu Mahato, alleged that she was abducted on her way to school, sexually assaulted and left in the forest. Family members and residents have demanded a thorough investigation. A case (38/26) has been registered in this regard at Bisra police station. A scientific team has examined the spot.
