Sundargarh: The body of a 16-year old girl, who had gone missing since Saturday, was found in a forest near Gopalpur village under Hemgir police limits in the district Monday.
Police suspected it to be a case of rape and murder as the decomposed body was nude. Preliminary inquiries indicated that the victim, a matriculate, was first raped and later strangulated. The matter came to the fore after a goatherd noticed the body and informed villagers.
The girl’s father, who was on his way to the police station, learnt about the recovery of the body in a jungle and reached the spot. He identified the body as that of his daughter.