Girl burnt to death by friends' mothers

An 11-year-old girl was allegedly burnt to death by two women for letting out that their daughters too were part of the innocent prank of stealing pomegranates from a garden in an Odisha village, police said Friday.

Sulochana Sahoo, 45, and Malli Sahoo, 35, were arrested Thursday for setting Rinki Behera on fire at Balinali village in the district of Deogarh, about 300 km from here.

Rinki and three of her friends had allegedly stolen the fruit from Majhi Pradhan's garden Wednesday, a police official said. Though others warned her, Rinki disclosed to the garden owner details of the theft and the names of her friends.

The mothers were furious and went to Rinki's house when she was alone. They then poured kerosene on her and set her ablaze before hurrying away from the place.

Villagers rushed to the spot a few minutes later and took the girl to a nearby hospital where she was declared dead, an official said.

The two women have confessed to the crime, he said.