Kendrapara: A 25-year-old gram panchayat employee in Kendrapara district has been arrested for allegedly exploiting women from self-help groups (SHGs) by coercing them into exposing and allowing video recordings of pigmented nevi (moles) on intimate parts of their bodies, under the false pretext of participating in a medical documentation scheme.
According reports, the accused, Somyaranjan Samal, served as a Master Book Keeper (MBK) in the SHG system and was responsible for maintaining financial records under the local gram panchayat. According to police, Samal misled around a dozen women, promising Rs 1,000 per mole shown and recorded on video, claiming it was part of an official health initiative.
An FIR was lodged on June 7 by Kalpana Samal, president of the Ma Budhi Kankei SHG in Tentulikoli village, under Rajkanika police limits, after several women raised concerns about the exploitative nature of the alleged “survey.”
Following the complaint, police booked Samal under Section 79 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which deals with acts intended to outrage a woman’s modesty. He reportedly fled the village soon after the complaint was registered, evading arrest for over a month.
He was finally tracked down and arrested on Friday from Chandanpur village in Cuttack district, under Nemal police jurisdiction. Police sources confirmed that he was produced before the court, which rejected his bail plea and ordered that he be sent to jail.
The case has sparked widespread condemnation, with women’s groups and local leaders demanding stricter safeguards in SHG operations and stronger accountability for officials misusing their positions of trust.
