A six-year-old girl was raped, strangulated and left inside a school campus at Jagannathpur village in Cuttack district on Saturday, with the accused presuming her to be dead, police said on Sunday.
The girl had gone to purchase biscuits in her village but when she did not return after some time and there was a power cut, her family members along with some villagers set out to look for her.
"After a frantic search for over an hour, the girl was found lying unconscious and without clothes inside the school campus with blood oozing from her head and mouth," the police said.
She was immediately rushed to a nearby private nursing home from where she was shifted to SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack, Salepur sub-divisional police officer P K Jena said.
The condition of the minor girl is "very critical" as she suffered deep injuries to her head, face, neck and chest, doctors attending to her at the hospital said, adding there were injuries to her private parts.
A 25-year-old man of the same village was arrested today in connection with the incident, the SDPO said.
State Health Minister Pratap Jena visited the hospital and later told mediapersons that a team of at least 13 doctors drawn from several departments is attending on the girl.
"The state government is bearing the entire cost of the treatment and the girl is under the special care of medicine specialists, pediatricians, psychiatrists, surgeons and radiologists in the ICU of trauma pediatric unit of the hospital," the minister said.
A case under the Pocso Act and IPC sections 376(2)(rape) and 307 (attempt to murder) was registered on the basis of a written complaint filed by the girl"s grandfather, Salepur police inspector D K Mallick said.
