Shocking Crime in Odisha: Teen Girl and Friends Arrested for Murder of Adoptive Mother

Tragic Incident Unfolds in Gajapati District

Berhampur: In a disturbing case from Gajapati district, Odisha, a Class VIII girl and her two male companions were apprehended on Friday for the alleged murder of a woman who had taken the girl in after rescuing her as an infant, according to local law enforcement.

The police reported that the trio smothered 54-year-old Rajalaxmi Kar at her residence in Paralakhemundi on April 29.

The motive behind this heinous act was reportedly Rajalaxmi's disapproval of the girl's relationship with the two young men, coupled with a desire to inherit her property.

Following the crime, the suspects concocted a narrative claiming that Rajalaxmi had succumbed to a heart attack.

On April 30, they cremated her remains in Bhubaneswar, where some relatives lived.

Due to Rajalaxmi's known heart condition, her family, including her brother, accepted the fabricated explanation, as stated by Gajapati SP Jatindra Kumar Panda.

The truth emerged when the girl's uncle discovered her concealed mobile phone in Bhubaneswar, which contained Instagram Messenger conversations with her accomplices outlining their plan to murder Rajalaxmi and steal over 70 grams of gold jewelry along with ₹60,000 in cash.

This revelation prompted Siba Prasad Mishra, the deceased's brother, to file a police report at the Paralakhemundi station last Wednesday.

A subsequent investigation led to the arrest of the three suspects: temple priest Ganesh Rath (21), Dinesh Sahu (20), both residents of Paralakhemundi, and the 13-year-old adopted daughter of the victim.

Authorities noted that Rajalaxmi had adopted the girl after finding her abandoned as a newborn in Bhubaneswar.

After the girl enrolled in Kendriya Vidyalaya in Paralakhemundi, they moved there and rented a house.

Recently, the girl had formed a relationship with Rath and Sahu, which her adoptive mother opposed.

Rath allegedly encouraged the girl to eliminate Rajalaxmi to take control of her assets and continue their relationship.

On the evening of April 29, the girl reportedly administered sleeping pills to Rajalaxmi.

Once she was unconscious, the girl called her friends, who then smothered the woman with pillows. They later transported her to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead, according to police.

Prior to the murder, the girl had given some of Rajalaxmi's gold jewelry to Rath, who pawned it at a finance company for approximately ₹2.4 lakh.

He allegedly used the funds to purchase a motorcycle and travel around the state.

During the investigation, police recovered three mobile phones containing incriminating Instagram messages, two pillows used in the murder, and about 30 grams of the stolen gold jewelry.