Bhubaneswar: Ten people, including eight women and two men, have been arrested for allegedly killing a 60-year-old man accused of repeatedly sexually assaulting several women in a village under Mohana police limits of Gajapati district, police said.
According to police, the man was allegedly murdered on the night of June 3, after he reportedly raped a 52-year-old widow in the village. Following the incident, a group of women—many of whom were earlier assaulted by the same man—held a meeting and decided to kill him.
“They went to his house at night while he was asleep. The 52-year-old widow attacked him with a sharp weapon, assisted by other survivors. Two men from the village also helped in the act,” said Basant Sethi, Inspector-in-Charge of Mohana police station.
The man, a widower for the past four years, had allegedly sexually assaulted multiple women from the village during that period, Sethi said. “At least six of the arrested women have admitted to being victims of his repeated assaults,” he added.
After the murder, the group allegedly burnt the body and disposed of the remains near a hillock around 2 km from the village. The incident came to light after the victim’s family filed a missing person complaint, prompting police to launch a search operation.
“We later recovered bones and ashes from a forested hillock. The evidence suggests he was hacked to death and his body was burnt,” Sethi said.
Among those arrested is a ward member of the village.
Gajapati SP Jatindra Kumar Panda said the women had not approached the police or lodged any formal complaint against the deceased.
“We are investigating all angles, including why no complaints were filed earlier,” he said.
