The lifeless body of a 1.5-year-old girl named Dipti Soren was recovered today from Palpala river in Balasore district after a two-day intensive search operation.
The toddler had gone missing on Wednesday after accidentally falling into the fast-flowing Palpala River near Dund village.
Dipti, daughter of Papu Soren from Darada village, was visiting her maternal grandparents in Dund with her family. While playing near the riverbank, she slipped unnoticed into the water. Despite immediate efforts by the local police, fire brigade, and ODRAF team, no trace of the child was found until today.
The body was discovered by Balram Pandit of Putura village while brushing his teeth near the river. He alerted the local sarpanch, Radhakrishna Behera, who promptly informed Singla police station. Officials including ASI Gopal Prasad Hembram, Additional Tahsildar Piyush Pradhan, and representatives from multiple panchayats arrived at the scene to oversee the recovery.
The police have registered an unnatural death case (No. 29/25) and sent the body for post-mortem. The grieving family has appealed for immediate government assistance in light of their tragic loss.
