According to police, the assailants attempted to rape the girl before killing her. Police said the girl belonging to Mundasor village, had gone to the nearby forest along with three other children when they were attacked. While the girl and a boy died, others escaped.

Although the number of assailants was not immediately available, it appeared that more than one person were involved in the crime, police said. Senior officers, including district collector Bijay Nanda and superintendent of police Susanta Nath rushed to the spot.

It is not known whether there is any religious overtone to the incident. Mundasor is a Christian predominant village. Out of the 40 families, 35 families are Christians while five are Hindus.