Bhubaneswar/Rourkela, Dec 11 (PTI) A man, who was out on bail after being jailed for raping a girl, killed the victim, chopped her body into pieces and threw the body parts in different places in Odisha, police said on Wednesday.
According to the police, the accused, identified as Kunu Kissan, was arrested for allegedly raping the minor in Sundargarh district in August last year. The victim had lodged a rape case with Dharuadihi police station. He was released from the prison in December last year.
"On December 7 this year, a missing complaint was filed by the girl's family. We had taken up the investigation," Jharsuguda Superintendent of Police Parmar Smit Parshottamdas said.
CCTV footage showed the girl travelling on a motorcycle with two persons, whose faces were covered as they were wearing helmets, he said.
Though the girl was a native of Sundargarh district, she was staying at Jharsuguda town in her aunt's house.
"Using AI technology, we were able to trace the accused in Sundargarh. During interrogation, he admitted that he had killed the girl and threw her body parts in two different places," the SP said.
The accused first slit the throat of the victim using a sharp knife along National Highway 143, connecting Rourkela and Deogarh, and threw her body parts at Tarkera Nali and Balughat of Brahmani River, he said.
Police, with help of Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF), launched a search operation on River Brahmani to trace the body parts.
After hours-long search operation, the body parts of the girl, including her head, were found, the SP said.
The police arrested the accused and an associate of his and further investigation is underway.
During interrogation, the accused said he was planning to kill the girl since his release from jail in December last year on bail so that she doesn't give her statement before the court, the SP said.
He feared that he would be convicted in the case if the victim gave statement before the court, and had accordingly changed his motorcycle registration for executing the plan, the officer said.
The accused and the victim had known each other for a long time, police sources said.