A 15-year-old school girl was allegedly raped by four men in Odisha's Malkangiri district on Sunday night while she was returning home from her friend's birthday party. All four accused have been arrested and the survivor's statement has also been recorded.
It was initially being suspected that she was raped by a truck driver, but it later came to the fore that she had allegedly been gang-raped by three other men before being assaulted by the former.
When the survivor did not return home on Sunday night, her family filed a missing person's complaint at the Malkangiri Adarsh police station. Later, she was spotted on Monday night with a truck driver in a suspicious condition. Locals who found her near Bija Ghat on NH 326 alerted the police.
Malkangiri SP Vinodh Patil H said that the police rushed to the spot immediately and rescued the girl and arrested the truck driver. The minor was then sent to a shelter home.
Her mother filed a written complaint based on which an FIR was lodged at Malkangiri Police Station. The statement of the victim was also recorded. The cases have been registered under section 137(2)—kidnapping, 64—rape, 65(1)—rape of under 16 years of age and Section 4 of Protection of Children from Sexual Offence Act (POSCO) (Amended), 2012, 2019.
The accused have been identified as truck driver Shubham Singh (26), a resident of Madhya Pradesh, and three others Manoj Harijan (30), Rohit Kumar Hial (24) and Bira Bhartia (26) of Malkangiri. Police have also seized the truck.
"Two cases were registered in connection with the incident. The truck driver took the girl to a forested area about 10-15 km from Malkangiri and raped her there. The three other accused persons also raped the girl within Town police limits," the SP said, adding that all four accused were arrested within six hours of receiving the complaint.
'Disturbing Wave Of Crime Against Women'
Former Odisha Chief Minister and BJD president Naveen Patnaik on Tuesday said that the state's BJP government must act immediately to restore trust in the system. He also noted that a "disturbing wave of crimes against women is gripping Odisha".
"A disturbing wave of crimes against women is gripping Odisha... This surge in sexual assaults reflects a troubling erosion of law enforcement. When the various ranks of the police face interference and political pressure, accountability weakens—and women and girls pay the price first," Patnaik wrote on X.
"Without urgent and decisive police action and political will backing it, this problem will only grow. The BJP government must act immediately to restore safety and rebuild women’s trust in the system sworn to protect them. BJD will continue to raise its voice for the protection of our mothers and sisters in every forum,” he added.