Keonjhar: The body of a 17-year-old girl, who went missing after going out of her house to relieve herself, was found hanging from a tree in Keonjhar district, following which her family alleged that she was gang raped and killed. Police said they have registered a case of gang rape and murder, and detained two persons in connection with the incident that led to tensions in Harichandanpur. The incident comes close on the heels of the gang rape of a 20-year-old girl at Gopalpur beach in Ganjam district, which triggered a nationwide outrage. The girl went missing on Monday night after going out of her home to relieve herself. Her mobile phone was also switched off, police said. Her bloodstained body was found hanging from a tree near the village the next morning.

Bloodstained male clothes and a few other items were also recovered from the scene, leading her family to suspect that she might have been raped and murdered. The girl’s father filed a police complaint, alleging that she was gang raped, killed and subsequently hanged to make it appear as a suicide. Following day-long protests by the villagers, mostly women, police registered a case under BNS sections 70(2) (gang rape) and 103(1) (murder), and POCSO Act. Two persons have been detained in connection with the case, said Laxmikant Pradhan, the inspector-in-charge of Pandapada police station. The family initially refused to receive the body and, along with the villagers, blocked Naduroada-Kaliahaat Road. After police detained two persons, they relented and withdrew the blockade.