Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Crime Branch on Tuesday took six accused in the Gopalpur gang rape case on a two-day remand for interrogation. Meanwhile, four minors allegedly involved in the crime remain in custody, as per orders of the Sub-Divisional Judicial Magistrate (SDJM) Court in Berhampur.
The victim had earlier identified the accused during a jail-based Test Identification (TI) parade. As part of the ongoing investigation, the Crime Branch is expected to carry out a scene recreation to reconstruct the sequence of events.
The incident occurred on June 15 at Gopalpur beach, where a 20-year-old college student was allegedly gang-raped by a group of ten youths from the Hinjili area of Ganjam district. The survivor had gone to the beach with a male friend to celebrate the Raja festival when the accused allegedly overpowered the friend and took turns assaulting her. Several accused are reported to be minors.
Crime Branch DGP Vinaytosh Mishra said digital evidence and other material collected from the spot have been sent to the State Forensic Science Laboratory (SFSL) for analysis. The chargesheet will be filed after the forensic report is received.
“As a specialised agency, we are focusing on gathering both direct and circumstantial evidence,” Mishra said. “Digital evidence, including CCTV footage and data from seized mobile phones, is being properly preserved and examined.”
The footage reportedly captures the movements of the accused before and after the incident. DNA profiling of the accused has been completed.
