Bhubaneswar: A 15-year-old boy was allegedly stabbed to death by unidentified miscreants on Mahanadi riverbanks in Odisha’s Kataka city on Sunday, triggering security concerns during the Dussehra festivities.

The deceased has been identified as Sumanta Sahu, a resident of the Raja Bagicha area of Kataka. He was a student of Saraswati Shishu Mandir, reports said.

The police suspect that the boy was lured to Mahanadi riverbanks near the Bali Yatra ground before being brutally attacked. Bloodstains were reportedly found scattered over a stretch of nearly 100 metres, suggesting that a violent struggle may have taken place at the spot.

A forensic team reached the crime scene and collected evidence, including a slipper and other materials that could help investigators reconstruct the sequence of events. Officers from the Cuttack Special Squad, an Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) and the Inspector-in-Charge of Cantonment police station also visited the spot and conducted an on-site investigation.

The body was recovered and sent to SCB Medical College and Hospital for post-mortem examination.

Although the boy's identity has been established, the circumstances surrounding his murder remain unclear.

The cops are investigating who lured him to the riverbank, why he was targeted and whether personal enmity or any other motive was behind the killing.

The incident has raised serious questions about the circumstances in which the teenager was attacked and killed at a location near the DCP office. The police are examining the evidence collected from the scene and pursuing leads to identify and apprehend the suspects.

The incident took place at a time when security arrangements have been strengthened across Kataka for the Durga Puja festivities, with around 60 platoons of police force reportedly deployed in the city.