Paralakhemundi (Odisha): A 13-year-old girl has been arrested along with her two male friends for allegedly murdering a woman, who adopted and raised her since infancy, media reports said.

The incident happened on April 29 in Odisha’s Gajapati district, where the victim, identified as 54-year-old Rajalaxmi Kar, lived with her adopted daughter.

According to police, just 13 years old, the girl developed relationships with two men— temple priest Ganesh Rath and another man, Dinesh Sahu—both much older than her.

When Rajalaxmi opposed the relationships, the girl conspired with the two men and smothered her with a pillow.

Police said the girl also wanted to gain control over Rajlaxmi’s property.

“Rajalaxmi and her husband had found the infant girl on a roadside in Bhubaneswar nearly 13 years ago,” Gajapati SP Jatindra Kumar Panda was quoted as saying by India Today.

“The couple, who were childless, took the baby in and raised her as their own. Rajalaxmi's husband passed away a year later. Since then, she had single-handedly raised the girl,” he added.

Years ago, Rajalaxmi had moved to Paralakhemundi and admitted her adopted daughter to Kendriya Vidyalaya.

However, as Rajalaxmi learned about the girl’s relationship with the men, things took an ugly turn.

“The three accused smothered Rajalaxmi with pillows while she was at home. After killing her, they tried to cover it up,” the SP said.

The girl told her neighbours that her mother had died of a heart attack and allegedly took the body to Puri and cremated it there.

Her attempts to delete evidence and remove suspicion failed as Rajlaxmi’s relatives smelled a rat and filed a case at the Paralakhemundi police station.

During the investigation, police found multiple evidence, including three mobile phones with incriminating messages, two pillows used in the murder, and nearly 30 grams of stolen gold ornaments, the India Today report said.

“All three — the girl, Rath, and Sahu — have been arrested,” the police said.

Further investigation is underway.