Bhubaneswar: Odisha Police Wednesday said that the probe into setting a 15-year-old girl ablaze allegedly by three unidentified persons is ‘in the final stages’.
The girl was allegedly set on fire in the morning of July 19 near the banks of Bhargavi River close to her residence in Balanga area of Puri district.
Puri Superintendent of Police Pinak Mishra made the assertion while replying to a question over the delay in nabbing the culprits.
“The girl, who suffered 70 per cent burn injuries, is undergoing treatment at AIIMS-Delhi and is in a stable condition. A DSP-rank officer and the officer-in-charge of Balanga police station are camping at the national capital. They are carrying out a detailed probe and questioning those concerned to collect evidence,” the SP said.
“We have gathered important clues in the case,” he said.
Stating that the police are handling the case with utmost sensitivity, Mishra said the victim’s health condition is the topmost priority, and “this was not the right time to speak about the motive behind the crime”.
Sources said that police, in the presence of a magistrate, have recorded the statement of the victim thrice (once in AIIMS-Bhubaneswar and twice in Delhi).
Her statement is considered very crucial as the police investigation did not indicate the involvement of three unknown miscreants in the incident, they said, adding that apart from a silver finger ring, the police have not recovered any material to identify the alleged attackers.
Earlier, the police investigated the incident based on the statement of one Dukshishyam Senapati, the villager who doused the fire and sent her to the hospital.
Senapati had told the police that the victim said that three persons kidnapped her while she was walking and set her on fire.
However, police are yet to get any clue into the involvement of three persons in the incident, sources said.
PTI
