The accused has been arrested, said police. (Representational)
A 46-year-old man has been arrested on charges of raping and murdering a nine-year-old tribal girl in Odisha's Balasore, police said on Sunday.
According to Remuna police in-charge Hasina Kulu, the girl went missing from her home on August 27, and her decomposed body was discovered in an abandoned house on August 30.
Accused Rabi Singh was arrested on Saturday and has been charged under various sections related to rape and murder, including sections 103, 165, 4(2) of the BNS Act, and POCSO Act, Kulu said, adding that he has been remanded to judicial custody for 14 days.
"Investigation revealed that the accused is a friend of victim's father and slept at their home before the day of the crime. The next morning, the accused took the girl for snacks and brought her to an abandoned house where he committed the crime. He later used a piece of concrete slab to smash her head," the officer said.
BJD president and Leader of Opposition Naveen Patnaik raised the issue in the assembly on Saturday, criticising the current government's handling of crimes.
"All major crimes, including this latest case, should be informed to the chief minister, who is also the home minister. This is a serious matter which never occurred during my government's tenure," Mr Patnaik said.
Addressing a press conference here on Sunday, BJD spokesperson Lekhashree Samantasinghar came down heavily on the BJP government and dubbed it as the "anti-women", "anti-children" and "anti-tribal". She demanded Rs 10 lakh compensation for the victim's family.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)