Girl gangraped in Odisha forest

Berhampur: A week after a minor tribal girl was allegedly gang-raped by four unidentified persons in a forest in Koraput district, a similar incident has come to fore from Ganjam district, raising serious questions about the safety of women in Odisha.

According to reports, a girl from Bhanjanagar was allegedly gang-raped by six persons in a forest near Budhakendu Thakurani temple in Gangapur area.

The accused intercepted the victim who is a student, when she was returning home with her fiance after visiting a temple. They thrashed him and forcibly took her to a nearby forest and allegedly raped her.

“We were returning from the temple around 3.30 pm on Monday. Six persons riding on two bikes intercepted us. They thrashed me and snatched away three mobile phones with Rs1,000. They took her to a nearby forest and raped her. One of the accused named Siba Nayak committed the act while his associates recorded the incident on their mobile phones,” the fiance said.

After the victim and her fiance lodged a written complaint with police, six persons were detained and are being interrogated at Bhanjanagar police station.

“A case has been registered at Gangapur police station. The accused and the girl will undergo a medical examination, and the former’s test results will be forwarded to court,” said Utkal Keshari Dash, a sub-divisional police officer (SDPO), Bhanjanagar.