Minor raped in Odisha, one held

A six-year-old girl was allegedly raped, strangled and dumped inside a school campus, presuming her to be dead, in Jagannathpur village under the Salepur police station of the district, about 30 km from here, on Saturday evening, the police said on Sunday.

“A 25-year-old youth, Md. Mustaq, of the same village has been arrested in this connection,” said Salepur sub-divisional police officer P. K. Jena, adding that the minor girl is in a critical condition and has been shifted to Cuttack for treatment.

State Health Minister Pratap Jena visited the hospital and told newsmen that a team of at least 13 doctors, drawn from several departments, is now attending to the victim.

Under special care

“The State government is bearing the entire cost of the treatment and the minor girl is now under the special care of medicine specialists, paediatricians, psychiatrists, surgeons and radiologists in the ICU of the hospital,” the Minister said.

Doctors attending to the victim maintained that the condition of the minor girl was “very critical” as she has received deep injuries in her head, face, neck and chest. There are injuries in her groin with inflammation in her private parts, doctors said.

To purchase biscuits

The police said the girl, also from the minority community, had gone to a kiosk in her village to purchase biscuits on Saturday evening. When she did not return after a while and there was a power cut in the area, anxious family members along with villagers set out to look for the missing girl.

“After a frantic search for over an hour, the girl was found lying naked and unconscious inside the school campus with blood oozing out from her head and mouth,” the police said. She was immediately rushed to a nearby private nursing home from where she was shifted to Cuttack.

A case under section 376 (2)(m) (i) and 307 of IPC and Section 6 of POCSO Act was registered and the investigations started immediately, said Salepur police inspector D. K. Mallick.