- Two men were arrested in Odisha for allegedly gang-raping a woman in front of her child
- The incident occurred on February 20 in Joda area of Keonjhar district during festival return
- One accused gave the woman and child a lift but diverted to a secluded spot for assault
Two men have been arrested in Odisha's Keonjhar district after a woman was allegedly gang-raped in front of her child, police said.
The incident took place on February 20 in the Joda area. According to police, the woman had travelled to Bhagalpur village under Joda police limits to attend festival celebrations and was returning home with her children in the evening. At around 21:00 local time, one of the accused, 34-year-old Basudev Gagrai (also reported as Gagarai), offered the woman and her child a lift in his vehicle.
Instead of taking them home, he allegedly drove to a secluded spot near a mahua tree along the Gobardhanpur road and sexually assaulted her despite her resistance. A second man, 44-year-old Suklal Munda from the Bileipada area, then arrived at the location and joined in the assault, police said. The two men allegedly raped the woman in the presence of her child.
During the attack, one of the accused bit the victim on her cheek, causing a deep injury and swelling. The men reportedly threatened to kill her if she told anyone about the incident before fleeing.
Fearing for her safety, the woman initially kept silent upon returning home. However, when her husband repeatedly questioned her about the visible wound on her cheek in the following days, she disclosed the full details of the assault. On March 3, the woman and her husband went to Joda police station and filed a written complaint.
Police registered a case and arrested both suspects -- Suklal Munda and Basudev Gagrai -- shortly afterwards. The men were produced before a court.
(With inputs from Dev Kumar Ghosh)
