Bhubaneswar: The body of a seven-year-old girl, who had been missing for two days, was recovered from a canal in Badhinakolha village under Rajnagar block in Kendrapara district on Friday.
The deceased has been identified as Shubhalakhmi, daughter of Kalandi Charan Nayak, a resident of Badhinakolha.
According to reports, the deceased’s mother, Sushama Pattanaik, had married Mangobinda Senapati of Malipur village under Patamundai police station and had been staying at her parental home in Badakolha for the past one year along with her daughter.
The girl went missing while a kirtan programme was underway in the village. After failing to find her daughter, Sushama lodged a missing complaint at Rajnagar police station. Following the complaint, fire service personnel and police teams launched a search operation around ponds and nearby areas. Bloodstains were reportedly found near the canal in the evening, but darkness prevented further search that day.
On Friday morning, the body of the seven-year-old girl was spotted floating in a canal connected to the Brahmani river. Fire service officials and police immediately recovered the body and sent it for post-mortem.
Police have registered a case and started a detailed investigation into the incident. The exact cause of death and circumstances leading to the tragedy are yet to be ascertained.
