The police in Imo State are working to unravel the circumstances leading to the death of an 18-month-old child alleged to have been raped to death.

The only daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Iwuagwu of Odumara Orodo in Mbaitoli Local Government Area of Imo State, met her death on May 16 at the hands of a suspected rapist (name withheld).

The suspect is also from the same community and is already in police custody at the state police headquarters, Owerri.

Some persons in the community who spoke on the condition of anonymity with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) were, however, divided in their opinion about the incident.

While some of them alleged that the suspect killed the girl for rituals, others were of the opinion that he kidnapped her for ransom.

A section also said the deceased was raped to death. When contacted, the state Police Public Relation Officer (PPRO), Mr. Linus Nwaiwu, confirmed the incident, but said investigation was in progress.

While confessing to the crime, the suspect recounted how a voice had been tormenting him and leading him into “doing things that tingle the ear.”

He said he used to be a second-hand cloth dealer in Cote d’ Ivoire before the voice told him to come back home.

Meanwhile, the corpse of the deceased has been deposited in the mortuary at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Owerri, for post-mortem examination.