Odisha woman murdered by girl she rescued as 3-day-old baby; three arrested

The police reported that Rajalaxmi had saved the girl from abandonment in Bhubaneswar and later adopted her.

In a shocking case from Gajapati district in Odisha, a class 8 girl and her two male friends were arrested for allegedly murdering a woman who had adopted the girl after rescuing her at just three days old. The woman, Rajalaxmi Kar, who was 54 years old, was killed at her home in Paralakhemundi on April 29.

Police believe that the motive behind the crime was Rajalaxmi's disapproval of the girl's relationship with the two young men, as well as a desire to gain control of her property. After the murder, the trio tried to cover up their actions by claiming that Rajalaxmi had died from a heart attack.

The next day, they cremated her body in Bhubaneswar, where some of Rajalaxmi’s relatives lived. Because Rajalaxmi had a history of heart problems, her family accepted their explanation without suspicion.

However, the truth began to unravel when the girl’s uncle found her hidden phone in Bhubaneswar. It contained messages revealing discussions about their plan to murder Rajalaxmi and steal her gold jewelry and cash.

Following this discovery, Rajalaxmi’s brother filed a complaint with the police, leading to the arrests of the three suspects: Ganesh Rath, 21, and Dinesh Sahu, 20, both from Paralakhemundi, along with the 13-year-old girl.

The police reported that Rajalaxmi had saved the girl from abandonment in Bhubaneswar and later adopted her. After the girl enrolled in school in Paralakhemundi, she and her two friends began living together. The girl formed a relationship with Rath and Sahu, which Rajalaxmi opposed. Rath is believed to have encouraged the girl to kill her mother to inherit her possessions and continue their relationship.

On the night of the murder, the girl allegedly gave Rajalaxmi sleeping pills. Once she was unconscious, the two boys smothered her with pillows. They then tried to fake a hospital visit where she was declared dead.

Before the murder, the girl had already given some of Rajalaxmi’s gold to Rath, who pawned it for a significant amount of money. He reportedly used this money to buy a motorcycle and travel around.

During the investigation, police recovered crucial evidence including three mobile phones with incriminating messages, the two pillows used in the crime, and some of the stolen gold jewelry.

(With PTI inputs)