Child With Severe Head Injuries Found Near Body Of Woman Who Was Allegedly Raped And Murdered

A three-year-old boy has been found near the body of a woman, who was allegedly raped and murdered. The child had a huge gash on his head and was severely bleeding, police said.

The duo was found on the roadside in the Indian state of Odisha on Saturday morning, The New Indian Express reported.

Police were alerted after some pedestrians found the woman and the child in a pool of blood. Though alive, the child was found with a deep wound. Officers who rushed to the spot immediately transferred the boy to a nearby hospital. Doctors who attended the boy said he was non-verbal.

Police suspect that the woman, who seemed to be in her 20s, was raped before her murder. Her throat was slit, and she also had a deep wound on her head. Officers believe the crime happened elsewhere, and her body, along with the child, was dumped later on the roadside.

The accused had also tried to kill the child by either smashing his head with a stone or slamming him onto the ground, a senior police official was cited as saying by The New Indian Express.

The police are yet to ascertain the woman's identity and whether the child and the woman were related.

Meanwhile, CCTV visuals from a nearby jewelry shop showed the woman riding along with an unidentified man on a two-wheeler. She was spotted carrying the child in her arms.

A search for the accused has begun. A dog squad and a forensic team were brought in to gather evidence, officials added. Gloves, liquor bottles and a chain were recovered from the spot.

"We have shared the details of the woman’s body and injured child with all neighboring police stations for their identification," the senior police official said.

In a similar incident, a one-year-old child was found last month near the decomposing body of his mother in Pune city in the Indian state of Maharashtra. Neighbors who noticed a foul smell emanating from the house alerted the police, who found the child.

Police said though the neighbors knew the woman was unwell, they didn't venture inside her home, for the fear of COVID-19. However, the child tested negative and was later moved to a government child center.