Jeypore: In a doleful incident, unidentified miscreants killed a woman and left her 10-month-old baby girl to fend for herself in a forest Monday night amid inclement weather and from wild animals. Fortunately, she survived.
The horrific incident was reported from Kumbhariput village under Jeypore block in Koraput district. When informed, police reached the village and rescued the girl, who was seen crying near her mother’s body in Nilagiri forest near the village. Police seized the body and sent it for post-mortem.
The matter came to light in the wee hours of Tuesday when locals spotted the body and the baby while on their way to relieve themselves and informed police. A local, identified as Harichandra Nayak, first heard the cries of the baby and alerted others. They located the infant under a bush near her mother’s body. Preliminary police investigations revealed the woman was an outsider. Miscreants reportedly brought the woman and the baby to the place on some pretext and, later, strangulated the woman using her saree. The baby was left behind in the forest amidst torrential rains.
The baby was admitted to a local hospital with minor injuries on her ear and eyes. Doctors attending on the infant said her condition was normal. Later, the baby was handed over to Childline officials.
Police also seized some cold drink and water bottles from the spot. A scientific team and sniffer dogs were pressed into service for a probe.
SDPO Udab Charan Naik, Borigumma IIC Uttam Mohanty and Fire brigade officer Narayan Sahu reached the spot and took stock of the situation. A case has been registered in this connection and a probe launched to establish the identity of the woman.
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