Police in Bhubaneswar have arrested a youth on charges of raping and murdering a four-year-old girl in a city slum. The accused, a daily wager named Ghania Das (25), had recently returned from a drug de-addiction centre. “The accused knew the victim and would offer her chocolates. On Monday night, he took the girl to his room with the intention of sexually assaulting her. He slit her throat fearing she would reveal it to others,” Bhubaneswar police commissioner Soumendra Priyadarshi said. The police commissioner said they are looking at the post-mortem report to assess whether the girl was sexually assaulted. The police had formed six teams to track down the accused, who was on the run. He was arrested late Tuesday night and police seized a knife with blood stains, believed to be the murder weapon. “The case is very sensitive. We intend to complete the investigation at the earliest and to file a chargesheet. A public prosecutor will be appointed for expeditious trial. We will try for exemplary punishment to the accused,” said Priyadarshi. On reports that the accused was under the influence of narcotics, the police commissioner said the medical examination of the accused has been conducted and samples collected.
