A 10-year-old girl was allegedly raped and killed in Odisha’s Bhadrak district, triggering a protest by locals, police said Wednesday (December 24, 2025).

The incident came to the fore when some people found the blood-soaked body of the minor near a bush in Baligaon under Chandbali Police Station limits on Tuesday (December 23) evening, a senior officer said.

The girl’s family lodged a complaint with the police, alleging that she was raped and murdered.

Local people staged a road blockade at Baligaon on Tuesday night, demanding immediate arrest of those involved in the crime.

“The girl’s father complained that his daughter had been missing since Tuesday evening. He also alleged that the girl was raped and murdered, and those involved in the crime dumped the body in the bush. We are investigating the incident. Prima facie, it seems to be a case of sexual assault and murder,” the police officer said.

SDPO Trilochan Sethi, Chandbali Tahasildar, and Chandbali Police Station Inspector-in-Charge Paresh Mohanty have been camping there, and one platoon of the armed police force has been deployed, he said.

SDPO Trilochan Sethi said the situation is now under control.