A college girl was found hanging from a tree in mysterious circumstances near Gangasagar village on the Patnagarh-Kantabanji road in the Patnagarh area in Balangir district on Sunday.
The deceased was identified as Ranju Dandasena, a Political Science student of the Jawaharlal (Degree) College in Patnagarh. She was a resident of Dumerpadar village.
Locals found the girl hanging with her dupatta in the morning.
Getting information, police reached the spot and recovered a vanity bag and a mobile phone from the spot. A scooter was also found parked near the scene.
Though police suspected it to be a case of suicide, the deceased’s family members alleged that it was murder as the girl’s feet were found touching the ground.
“Somebody has hung my daughter after killing her,” alleged the girl’s mother.
However, police said, “The circumstantial evidence indicated that it was a suicidal hanging. The incident might have occurred last evening. The feet of the deceased were touching the ground due to swelling of the body caused by rain throughout the night. Yet, we are waiting for the postmortem report to ascertain whether it is a suicide or a murder.”