Cuttack, Sept 27: A 30-year-old man was arrested for allegedly raping and murdering a 25-year-old girl at Kishore Nagar on September 23.

Superintendent of police (Cuttack rural division) Gurudas Kundu said the accused, Durga Prasad Das, seemed to have committed the act as the deceased had rejected his romantic overtures. Das was the girl’s neighbour.

Das, who was working as a driver in Surat, had returned to his native village eight months ago.

On the evening of September 23, Das had allegedly abducted the victim, while she was returning home from the market at Tarito village. Later, he allegedly took her to an isolated place near the Mahanadi river and raped her.

“After the rape, the accused smashed the head of the victim with a stone and threw the body into the river,” Kundu said.

The girl’s semi-naked body was found on the riverbank the next day.