Nabarangpur: In a heinous crime, a five-month pregnant woman from Jagannathpur village under Khatiguda police limits in Odisha’s Nabarangpur district was allegedly raped by her relative (elder cousin of her husband) Lilia Runjikar while the latter’s wife Padma Runjikar, an ASHA worker, filmed the entire act on her mobile phone.
According to reports, when the victim sought Padma’s help for a medical check-up, she told her husband Lilia to bring her to the medical center at Nabarangpur. Instead of taking the victim to the medical center, Lilia allegedly took her to a house on February 28 and raped her. While Lilia was violating the victim’s modesty, his wife Padma not only helped him but also captured the obscene scene on her mobile phone.
Later, Lilia dropped the victim at her house in Jagannathpur and threatened to kill her if she revealed the incident to anyone. Later, the couple (Lilia and Padma) allegedly threatened the victim and took her to a local temple where she was made to swear that she would not tell anyone about the incident.
Ashamed and pained over the turn of events, the survivor tried to end her life on Wednesday. However, some relatives saw her attempting to commit suicide and saved her. When they asked her the reason for taking such a drastic step, the victim narrated the shameful incident to them.
Hearing her plight, the victim’s relatives and other villagers took her to the Khatiguda police station where the cops recorded her statement and sent her for a medical check-up. Later, the police registered a case (26/23) in this connection on the basis of the victim’s statement and the medical report.
The police also arrested the accused couple – Lilia and Padma Runjikar – and produced them in court on Wednesday. The couple was sent to jail custody after their bail pleas were rejected.
