Bhubaneswar: The body of the 3-year-old girl who went missing was found in a pond at Badhipatna village under Ranpur police limits in Nayagarh today. Police have recovered the body and initiated an investigation into the matter, a senior official of the State Police headquarters informed.
The minor girl went missing since December 11 from near her house. On the basis of a complaint lodged by her family, an FIR was registered by local police. Three teams comprising, police and Fire Services personnel were setup to trace the missing minor girl.
The deceased girl’s father Sanjay said that he along with a group of other persons were searching for thieves on the village outskirts, when they spotted the body. “There was a hue and cry in our village about some thieves following which we launched a manhunt. Few minutes later, we realised that there was a body in the pond.”
“The body was found in a pond in Adibasi Sahi area of the village. The pond is located at a distance from our house. My daughter had not gone out of the village and I suspect an insider’s hand in this act,” added Sanjay. Meanwhile, reports of Sanjay being abused and heckled by some locals have surfaced. On the other hand, the local police have initiated a thorough probe to ascertain the cause of the minor girl’s death.