Balangir: Police on Tuesday exhumed the headless body of a nine-year-old boy near a nullah at Sundhimunda village in Sindhekela area of Odisha’s Balangir district.
The deceased has been identified as Ghanashyam Rana.
According to sources, the boy had been missing since October 13 and his family members had lodged a complaint with the police in this regard.
Acting on the complaint, police had begun an investigation and finally found the headless body of the boy buried under the sand this morning. On being informed, the family rushed to the spot and recognised the body.
While the family members told the police that they had no enmity with anyone in the village, police suspect that the boy was kidnapped and later sacrificed to appease the Goddess.
The body was later sent for postmortem.
Meanwhile, a scientific team from Balangir has arrived at Sindhekela for an on-the-spot investigation.
