Berhampur, Feb. 9: Hinjili police today recovered the body of Sasmita, an eight-year-old girl, from a well at Ankarada village.

Sasmita, who was in her school uniform, had been missing from her house since last Friday and the police suspected that she was kidnapped and murdered. The body bore multiple injury marks.

"Sasmita, daughter of a labourer, was a student of Class III at Lal Bahadur UP School, Ankarada, and her elder sister Rasmita studies in Class V of the same school. Their widow mother Yamuna works as a labourer," said local resident Padmanav Nayak.

The sister duo went to school on Friday, and they returned home at 1pm during the midday meal, as Sasmita was suffering from diarrhoea. Both of them did not take meals in the school and had lunch at home. They did not go to the school afterwards.

Yamuna and Rasmita went to a centre about 500 metres from the house to get rice, leaving Sasmita at home. On their return, they found the door locked from outside and the key kept near the door - which was the usual practice followed by the family members, said Padmanav.

"We thought Sasmita had gone somewhere. When she did not turn up after a long time, we informed the police in the evening," said Rasmita. The policemen, along with local villagers, searched the area all night but could not find Sasmita.

"With the help of the fire brigade personnel, the police drained out the water from four wells at the village on Saturday, as it was suspected that she might have fallen into one.Her body was found in an abandoned well barely 75 metres from the house,"said Sabyasachi Malla, investigating officer of Hinjili police station.

"We have sent the body for post-mortem to the forensic medicine and toxicology department of the MKCG hospital," said Subash Chandra Panda, the inspector in-charge of Hinjili police station.