New Delhi:
She was adopted as a newborn by a woman who found her abandoned on the roadside in Odisha when she was just three years old. She grew up and killed her adoptive mother with the help of two men.
According to the police, the 13-year-old Class 8 student, along with her two male friends, allegedly conspired to kill 54-year-old Rajalaxmi Kar, her adoptive mother, at their rented residence in Paralakhemundi town in Gajapati district on April 29. The motive, according to the police, was Rajalaxmi’s opposition to her daughter’s relationship with the two young men and the desire to gain control over her property.
The accused allegedly drugged Rajalaxmi with sleeping pills before smothering her with pillows. The woman was then taken to a hospital where she was declared dead. The following day, her body was cremated in Bhubaneswar in the presence of her relatives, who were informed that she had died of a heart attack.
The case remained hidden for over two weeks until Rajalaxmi’s brother, Siba Prasad Mishra, found the girl’s mobile phone, which had been left behind in Bhubaneswar. Examination of the device revealed Instagram conversations that laid out the murder plan in detail. The chats included specific references to killing Rajalaxmi and taking possession of her gold ornaments and cash.
Following this discovery, Mr Mishra lodged a complaint at Paralakhemundi police station on May 14. The subsequent investigation led to the arrest of the three accused, the teenage girl, temple priest Ganesh Rath (21), and his friend Dinesh Sahu (20), both from the same town.
According to Gajapati Superintendent of Police (SP) Jatindra Kumar Panda, Rajalaxmi and her husband had found the infant girl on a roadside in Bhubaneswar nearly 14 years ago. The couple, who were childless, took the baby in and raised her as their own.
Rajalaxmi’s husband died just a year later. Since then, she had single-handedly raised the girl. Several years ago, she moved to Paralakhemundi so that her daughter could study at Kendriya Vidyalaya, enrolling her there and renting a house in town.
Over time, the girl is said to have entered into a relationship with Rath and Sahu, both much older than her. Rajalaxmi reportedly objected to the relationship, leading to tensions between her and the girl.
According to police, Rath allegedly instigated the girl to carry out the murder. According to the police, Rath convinced her that by killing Rajalaxmi, they could continue their relationship without opposition and gain access to her property.
On the evening of April 29, the girl allegedly gave sleeping pills to her mother. Once Rajalaxmi was unconscious, she called Rath and Sahu. The three then allegedly smothered Rajalaxmi with pillows. The victim was rushed to a hospital where she was declared dead. The accused told family members and hospital staff that she had suffered a heart attack.
Rajalaxmi had a prior heart condition, so the claim was not questioned.
According to the police, the girl had earlier handed over some of Rajalaxmi’s gold ornaments to Rath. He allegedly pawned them for approximately Rs 2.4 lakh. Police recovered about 30 grams of gold ornaments from the accused, along with three mobile phones and two pillows allegedly used in the crime.
