Balasore: The Baliapal Police on Monday claimed to have unraveled the mystery behind the murder of seven-year-old girl Bishnupriya, nicknamed Neuli, by arresting one of her distant relatives and the latter's sister-in law.
The arrested accused were identified as Deepak Sahoo while the woman's name is yet to be disclosed. Police said the duo killed the little girl fearing she would reveal their illicit relationship after she saw them in compromising position.
Bishnupriya had gone missing while playing near her residence on December 11 before her body was found near a pond at her village, Sundarkoili, on Monday morning.
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Following her disappearance, the police had launched an investigation and picked up Deepak for questioning on the basis of suspicion. During questioning, Deepak allegedly confessed to have murder along with his paramour. He was subsequently put under arrest on Sunday evening and based on his revelations, the police traced the girl's body to the near the village pond.
During interrogation, Deepak allegedly told the police that Bishnupriya came to know about the affair between him and his sister-in-law after she caught them in compromising position. "He was scared that Bishnupriya would reveal what she saw before her family members," said the SDPO at Basta police station, Jalandhar Jali adding, "It was then he decided to kill the girl with help of his sister-in-law."
Describing further, Jali said,"At around 10 am on December 11, Deepak took the girl to a secluded place and killed her with a sharp weapon with the help of his sister-in-law. Later, they hid her body in the pond," said Jali adding that there are no evidence to suggest sexual assault on the minor girl.
Deepak's sister-in-law was later arrested by the Baliapal police which now plan to take her along with Deepak to the crime spot and recreate the murder scene.
Meanwhile, family member of Bishnupriya demanded stringent action against the killers. "I want strict action against those who had killed my child," said Bishnupriya's mother.
In the morning hours on December 11, Bishnupriya was last seen playing with her friends near her house. When she did not return home by 9 AM, the family members began searching for her. Even the sarpanch of the village helped in the search by calling out her name over public address systems, but in vain. After prolonged search, the police had lodged a complaint with the police.