Raurkela: A railway employee was arrested on Thursday for allegedly raping a woman passenger at Rourkela railway station after luring her with the promise of arranging a confirmed ticket to Bengaluru, police said.
The accused, posted at the station, was arrested by the Government Railway Police (GRP) and later remanded to judicial custody.
According to police, the woman, a native of Nuapada district, was travelling to Bengaluru for work with her two cousins. The trio had mistakenly boarded a train to Hatia from Titlagarh on Wednesday. After realising their mistake, they boarded another train for Rourkela and reached the station at around 9 am on Thursday.
The three did not have confirmed tickets for their onward journey to Bengaluru. While the woman’s cousins went to inquire about reservations, she stayed back on the platform, police said.
The railway employee allegedly approached her and offered to help arrange a confirmed ticket. He then took her to an operator’s room near the officers’ rest house on Platform No. 1, where he allegedly locked the door from inside and raped her, police said.
The accused allegedly offered her Rs 2,000 after the incident and warned her against disclosing it, investigators said.
When he allegedly attempted to assault her again, the woman managed to escape from the room and informed her cousins.
The trio immediately approached the GRP and lodged a complaint. A police team led by Sub-Inspector Kailash Munda rushed to the room and detained the accused.
Both the accused and the survivor underwent medical examinations, police said. The survivor has been accommodated at a One Stop Centre and her statement will be recorded before a magistrate.
Following the arrest, railway authorities terminated the employee’s services. Aditya Choudhury, Senior Divisional Commercial Manager of the Chakradharpur Division, said the employee had been removed from service without pensionary benefits.
Police said further investigation into the case is underway.
