A teenager was found dead in a field in a Saran village on Saturday night and it is suspected that she was kidnapped, gang-raped and murdered.

The 17-year-old girl from Satuapur village in Saran district, around 60km north of Patna, had gone out to relieve herself on Saturday night after a puja at her house. When she did not return, the family started a search for her but she could not be found.

Police said some local residents found the girl's body in a pool of blood in a field on the outskirts of Satuapur village, under Baniapur police station in Saran district, on Sunday morning.

The police reached the spot after being informed by the residents and sent the body for post-mortem.

Baniapur police station house officer Jwala Singh said they spoke to the girl's father, who works outside Bihar but was home for the festive season. He told the police that she participated in the puja and left home around 8.30pm to attend to the call of nature but didn't return.

The autopsy report is not yet in but the police suspect the girl was raped and then killed. An officer who prepared the inquest report said stab injury marks were found around the girl's neck and chest. An Aadhaar card and a purse, both belonging to the girl, were also recovered from the spot.

The police have picked up a youth from Satuapur village for interrogation after the family pointed their suspicion towards him.

"The suspect was earlier in a relationship with the girl," an investigating officer told The Telegraph over the phone on Sunday.

Baniapur SHO Singh said the case would be investigated from different angles and the girl's family members would also be questioned after a few days. "They (family members) are in a state of shock now," he said. "In such a situation, they will not be able be share information on the girl."

The girl's father worked in a private firm in Punjab and had come home around Durga Puja to stay on till Chhath.

An investigating officer said: "He (the father) had come only a few days ago, and was annoyed with his daughter's behaviour and had allegedly warned her. "What exactly happened with the father and daughter is a matter of investigation."

Residents have told the police that some neighbours allegedly told the father about the girl's romantic relationship after which he had a talk with her.

In another incident, a 19-year-old girl was found dead at Arwa village under the jurisdiction of Nagara police outpost on Sunday.

The identity of the deceased could not be immediately known. The body has been sent to the Chhapra sadar hospital for post-mortem.