Balangir: The body of a college girl was found hanging from a tree near a village in Patnagarh area of Odisha’s Balangir district on Sunday.
Sources said locals found the girl hanging from a tree with a scarf near Gangasagar village on Patnagarh-Kantabanji main road and informed the police.
She was identified as Ranju Dandasena, a student of Jawaharlal (Degree) College in Patnagarh. A bag and mobile phone were found lying at the spot. A scooter was also found near the site.
A team of police personnel rushed to the spot on getting information and seized the bag and a mobile phone reportedly belonging to the deceased. A scientific team was also sent to examine the spot.
Police launched an investigation to ascertain whether the girl had committed suicide or someone murdered her and hung the body.
As per preliminary reports, the girl belonged to Dumerpadar village in the area and she was staying in a hostel while pursuing studies at Patnagarh.
Family members of the girl alleged that she was murdered saying her feet were found touching the ground. Somebody has killed and hung her body, alleged girl’s mother Pankajini Dandasena.
Police said prima facie it appeared to be a case of suicide, but a clear picture will be available after getting the postmortem report.