Rape accused burnt victim's head, minor nephew played accomplice

The gruesome murder of the 18-year-old girl whose dismembered body parts were found in Rourkela was not just horrifying; it was executed in cold blood.

- PRASANJEET SARKAR/ASISH MEHTA @Rourkela/Bhubaneswar

Main accused Kunu Kisan, a mason by profession, came fully prepared to destroy evidence and derail the investigation. He burnt the victim's severed head before disposing of it in a swamp.

The 30-year-old prime accused watched several crime shows, including the popular series Crime Patrol, revolving around kidnapping and murder, to learn the tricks before killing the girl whom he had allegedly raped and impregnated over a year back.

Shocking details emerged from the initial investigation, sending shockwaves across the state. After the murder, Kisan chopped the victim's hands and legs to prevent police from getting fingerprints on the body. He severed her head, set it on fire, and disposed of it in a swampy area near Rourkela to allow decomposition to reduce the scope of her identification. In this chilling act of murder, a minor nephew of Kisan played the perfect accomplice.

The probe revealed that the accused had been persuading the victim to give a favorable statement in court ever since he walked out on bail last year in December.

Victim got pregnant, underwent abortion

The victim was a native of Lahandabud village in Sundargarh district and had visited her uncle's place in Lefripara block last year when she met Kisan, who is a native of the same area. After she returned to her village, Kisan befriended and raped her. The girl even got pregnant and had to undergo an abortion. After the incident, she shifted to her aunt's place in Jharsuguda and worked at a beauty parlor in Beheramal, police sources said.