Police have arrested a youth from Kerala for allegedly murdering a woman and raping her daughter in the Dharmasala area of the district.
The accused was identified as Bijaya Behera (22) of Kumari village in the district.
Behera had allegedly barged into the house of the woman along with his friend Pabitra Maharana on the night of May 2. They dragged the woman’s daughter to the Deuli Hill, where Behera raped the 18-year-old girl.
The victim’s mother, who followed the accused and reached the spot, was thrashed to death by Behera. The girl was admitted to the SCB Medical College Hospital in Cuttack. She narrated the ordeal before police after her recovery.
On the basis of the victim’s statement, the Dhamasala police had registered a case against Behera and launched a manhunt to nab him.
The police came to know about his presence in Kerala by tracking his mobile phone and arrested him on Sunday night. Behera confessed to his crime during interrogation and would be forwarded to court, police said.