A 13-year-old girl was murdered after being allegedly gang raped by some youths in Odisha’s Kandhamal district, police said here on Saturday.

The girl, a class 7 student of Dadamaha, had gone to witness a ‘yatra’ (play) at nearby Simanbadi village on Thursday night when the youths sexually assaulted her, sub-divisional police officer (SDPO), Baliguda, Arjun Barik said. As the girl apparently attempted to raise an alarm, she was strangulated with her scarf, Barik said. The body was found on Friday from the roadside near Masanipada village, the SDPO said.

He added the incident had shocked the people. Post-mortem on the body was performed at Daringibadi public health centre and a case registered on the basis of an FIR lodged by her faher, he said.