Last Update: January 14th, 2023, 3:00 PM IST
The body of a female cricketer, Rajshree Swain (22), who had gone missing on January 10, was found hanging under mysterious circumstances in a forest near Gurudijhatiya police limits under Cuttack rural police. Police said it appears to be a case of suicide.
The young cricketer has been identified as Rajshree Swain. She was a resident of Puri district. Earlier, the Mangalabagh police had recovered a scooty and helmet from him.
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According to the police, Rajshree’s phone got switched off near the forest. The search has been started on the basis of the last location of his mobile. Rajshree’s body was later found hanging from a tree in a dense forest under Gurudijhatia police station area.
The young cricketer was missing for the last three days.
Earlier Odisha Cricket Association (OCA) lodged a missing complaint with the Mangalabagh police. Cuttack Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Pinak Mishra said Rajshree’s coach had lodged a missing complaint at Mangalabagh police station after she did not reach home after the completion of the selection camp.
The young cricketer was part of the 25-member squad that participated in the cricket training camp. However, she was reportedly under stress for not making it to the final team. She was missing since January 11.
Rajshree’s mother said, ‘She had come to Cuttack for the selection camp. She was staying at the Palace Hotel. After a 10-day selection camp, she was deliberately dropped from the final team, although she was the best player. She was under a lot of stress and called her sister. She also told me that she was not included in the team though she was an all-rounder and one of the best players.
“My daughter is missing since then. But, they (organisers of the camp) did not tell us anything. When we contacted them, they claimed that Rajshree has gone missing,” her mother said.
Though they claim to have seen her scooter, they are neither showing nor telling us anything, Rajshree’s mother was sobbing.
Rajshree’s sister also claimed that Rajshree was stressed and sad as she was not included in the team.
“He called me around 9 in the morning. She was crying and telling me that despite being one of the best players, she has been dropped from the team. I tried to explain to her, but she hung up. So, I called my mother and asked her to speak to Rajshree. However, his phone was found switched off since then,” said Rajshree’s sister.
Rajshree’s sister said, “We contacted all her friends, the organizers and the hotel staff, but all said she had not returned to the hotel.”
Though the police suspect it to be a case of suicide, the family members of the deceased cricketer alleged that he was murdered.
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He blamed the officials of the Odisha Cricket Association (OCA) for this. OCA CEO Subrata Behera said, “We are saddened by the news of Rajshree’s passing. We lost an OCA-registered player. There is no error in the selection process. Current performance is selected based on past records. Rajshree was among those 25 people. She was not among the 16 selected in the second round. No player is requested to take such extreme measures.”
Additional SP of Cuttack Rural Ranjit Prasti said, “The family members have given a written complaint against some people. We are probing the matter. We are waiting for the postmortem report of Rajshree.”
Rajshree’s last rites will be performed in her village on Saturday.
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