TURA, Dec 4: In a shocking incident, the body of a 17-year-old schoolgirl, who went missing four days ago while heading to school in Dalu border town to appear for her Class X selection examinations, has been found abandoned in a jungle area in the adjoining Dimapara village of South Garo Hills early Saturday morning.
The young victim is suspected to have been raped and murdered in a gruesome manner.
The news of the girl missing and the tragic discovery of her body has sent shockwaves across Garo Hills, particularly Dalu town, just as people were preparing to welcome the festive season of Christmas.
The teenager was last seen heading to school on December 1 morning to appear for her examination of the Secondary School Leaving Certificate. Sadly, she never returned home.
A day earlier, on Friday, the family of the young girl who had no clue of her whereabouts filed a missing report at Dalu Police Station.
“Seeing the manner in which her body was found with her clothes in an improper condition, it seems to be a case of rape and murder. It also seems to be the handiwork of more than one person,” informed South Garo Hills Police as they await the autopsy report from the doctors.
Another factor police are probing is the likelihood that the victim was murdered in another place but dumped in a jungle area of Damgsa Adu near Dimapara Bazaar to avoid detection.
Dimapara, although in South Garo Hills, is a continuous area connected to Dalu, which is just a few kilometres away.