A 22-year-old woman cricketer, who had gone missing under mysterious circumstances, was found hanging from a tree in a dense forest near Athagarh in Cuttack district on Friday. Prima facie, it appeared to be a case of suicide, police said.
The young cricketer has been identified as Rajashree Swain. She hailed from Puri district. Earlier, Mangalabag police had recovered the scooter and a helmet belonging to Rajashree.
As per the police, Rajashree’s phone got switched off near the forest. Based on her last mobile network location, cops had launched a manhunt. Her body was later recovered hanging from a tree in the dense forest under Gurudijhatia police limits.
The young cricketer had been missing for the last three days.
Earlier, the Odisha Cricket Association (OCA) had lodged a missing person’s complaint with Mangalabag police.
The young cricketer was part of a 25-member team that had participated in a cricket training camp. However, she was reportedly under stress for not being able to make it to the final team. She had gone missing from January 11.
Speaking to OTV, Rajashree’s mother said, “She had come to Cuttack for a selection camp. She was staying at Palace Hotel. After the 10-day selection camp, she was intentionally dropped from the final team although she was the best player. She was under severe stress and had called her sister. She also informed me that she was not included in the team although she was an all-rounder and was one of the best players.”
“My daughter has been missing since then. But, they (the camp organisers) did not inform us anything. When we contacted them they claimed that Rajashree has gone missing,” her mother added.
Although they claim to have spotted her scooter, they are not showing us or telling us anything, Rajashree’s mother sobbed.
Rajashree’s sister also claimed that the former was under stress and sad as she was not included in the squad.
“She had called up me at around 9 am. She was crying and told me that she had been excluded from the team although she was one of the best players. I tried to pacify her, but she disconnected the call. So, I called up my mother and asked her to talk to Rajashree. However, her phone was found switched off since then,” said Rajashree's sister.
“We contacted all her friends, the organisers and hotel staff, but everyone said that she had not returned to the hotel,” she added.
On the other hand, the FIR copy states that Rajashree Swain had sought permission to go to her home after she was not selected for the team. After getting permission, she had left the hotel room on her scooter.
However, Rajashree’s family members claimed that her belongings were still in the hotel.
(Reported by Debasish Mohanty, OTV)