Bhubaneswar: Police have arrested five persons in connection with the alleged gang-rape of a woman in Kataka district, while efforts are underway to apprehend another accused, police said on Thursday.
The incident took place late Tuesday night under Nischintakoili police station limits when the woman, who works at a mall in Bhubaneswar, was travelling with her boyfriend towards her village in Kendrapada district.
Kataka Rural Superintendent of Police Vineet Agarwal said a case was registered at Nischintakoili police station on the basis of the survivor’s complaint and a DSP-rank officer has been assigned to investigate the matter.
“Four police teams were formed to apprehend the accused. Out of the six accused, five have already been arrested,” Agarwal told reporters.
The arrested accused were identified as Munib Khan (30), Sk Riyasat Ahammad (25), Md Ubuzar Gaffri (21), Sk Salman Ali (19) and Sajan Khan (27).
According to the police and the complaint, the woman and her boyfriend had stopped near Sukarapada village along the Kataka-Chandabali state highway to rest before continuing their journey. The six accused allegedly surrounded their vehicle and threatened the couple, asking them to open the doors.
When the couple refused, the accused allegedly broke the car windows with an iron rod. They reportedly restrained and assaulted the woman’s boyfriend before forcibly taking the woman away.
The accused allegedly took her to an abandoned house located around two kilometres from the spot, where she was allegedly sexually assaulted by the group. They subsequently fled, leaving her in a critical condition, according to the complaint.
Police said a search is continuing for the sixth accused, who remains absconding. Agarwal said further investigation is underway to establish the circumstances surrounding the incident and identify any other criminal involvement, if found.
Local sources have alleged that some of the accused may have been involved in other serious criminal activities. Police, however, are yet to establish those allegations as part of the ongoing investigation.
