The Cuttack (Rural) police on Tuesday began investigating into an alleged “honour killing” incident after registering an FIR on the basis of a villager’s written complaint about the suspected death of a minor girl at Aanla village in Niali block of Cuttack district, about 40 km from here.
“A 17-year-old fatherless girl is suspected to have been murdered by her other relatives on Saturday last and the body was secretly cremated without informing the police or any other villagers,” said Cuttack Rural SP Madhav Chandra Sahu.
Police in the meantime are questioning the girl’s elder father, two cousins and other villagers in this connection. “With the help of scientific team, we have collected the consigned remains of the deceased from the crematorium ground,” Sahu said, adding that the girl’s mother is also a mental patient. While the relatives of the victim maintain that the girl died on Saturday due to cardiac arrest, they are unable to justify as to why the victim was not taken to a hospital or as to why the matter was not reported to the police.
“Even the neighbours or any of the villagers were aware of the incident while some people have seen that the cousins of the victim were carrying her in a motorcycle on Saturday evening,” police said, adding that prima facie this appears to be a murder and an attempt to eliminate evidences.
Villagers, however, suspect the case to be an honour killing, saying the girl had a love affair with a local boy and her elder father’s family was averse to it. “We are investigating into this aspect also. But till now, the allegations have not been substantiated,” the SP said.