- A minor girl was allegedly gang-raped by five men in Odisha
- The accused had dragged her to a secluded spot when she stepped out for some work
- Three men were arrested this morning and efforts are on to arrest the others.
A minor girl was allegedly gang-raped by five men in Odisha's Sambalpur yesterday, adding to a rise in crime against women and children in the eastern state. Three men have been arrested while two are still at large, said police. The girl had stepped out of her home for some personal work when the five accused had allegedly dragged her to a secluded spot and gang-raped her. A complaint was lodged at Jujumura police station after she narrated the incident to her family.
The police immediately swung into action and launched a manhunt. The three men were arrested this morning, said police, adding that efforts are on to arrest the others.
"The incident took place yesterday evening around 6:30 pm. Taking immediate action, the police arrested three accused. They have confessed to the crime. The remaining two will be arrested soon. The arrested accused are all from the same colony, while the remaining two are from a nearby colony," said Mukesh Bhamu, Superintendent of Police.
The incident had raised safety concerns for women amid a rise in sexual assault cases in Odisha, especially in the wake of the death of a college student in Balasore. She had set herself on fire after alleging inaction in a sexual assault complaint against a professor. She died three days later.
Earlier this month, a minor was kidnapped by her boyfriend and four of his friends in Mayurbhanj district. The police said the men took her to a forest and tried to gang-rape her, but she managed to escape. In another instance, a tribal woman was allegedly gang-raped when she had stopped to urinate on the roadside in Angul district.
With inputs from Dev Kumar Ghosh
