Body of missing child found after nine days in Odisha

Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Keonjhar, Feb 9:

Irate locals on Sunday staged a road blockade in Keonjhar town in Odisha after the body of a missing child was found from a pond in the morning.

However the four-hour blockade was withdrawn after the police pacified the agitators by assuring them of arresting the killer at the earliest.

Sources said Smruti Ranjan Raul, a two-and-half-year-old son of Dibya Ranjan Raul, a vegetable vendor of Pabitradiha area, had gone with his friends in the afternoon on January 31. But as he did not return, the family members had a frantic search but failed.

Later they lodged a complaint with the Keonjhar Town Police.

However, at about 1 PM on Sunday, some children, while playing near the pond, found a body floating on the water. Following information, the locals and the family members rushed to the spot and identified the child as Dibya Ranjan.

Tension ran high in the area as irate locals staged road blockade at Lavanya Chhak and Gandhi Chhak by burning tyres demanding immediate arrest of the accused.

Vehicular traffic came to a grinding halt for about four hours due to the blockade.

Following information, senior district and police officials rushed to the spot and pacified the agitators and promised them to arrest the accused at the earliest to which the latter withdrew the blockade.