Four-year-old girl's death sparks tension in Odisha's Sundergarh

Sundergarh: Mysterious death of a four-year-old girl sparked tension in Ghumuda village under Dharuadihi police limits of Sundergarh district today. Locals thrashed a woman of the village suspecting her of performing witchcraft when the minor girl with injury marks was recovered from the former’s house.

According to reports, the girl child went to the Anagnwadi centre this morning. But when she did not return home after 2 pm, her family members made frantic searches. Susepcting a woman of the village of practising witchcraft, the girl’s family members raided her house.

They found a box at the woman’s house during the search and opened it. To their utter shock, the girl’s family members found her in a critical condition allegedly with injury marks in different parts including throat inside the box. Immediately she was rushed to the nearby hospital where doctors declared her dead.

In the meantime, villagers detained the woman from whose house the minor girl was recovered. Later, they thrashed the woman when the girl’s death news spread.

On being informed, police reached the spot and rescued the woman from the agitated locals. A police official said probe is on to find out under what circumstances the girl died and other aspects of the case.