Angul: A woman of Sambalpur region who went missing after getting down from her husband’s car at Nakichi on National Highway-55 under Handapa police limits here was gangraped. The police arrested four persons including a minor boy for the offence Wednesday.
This was stated here by SP Mitrabhanu Mohapatra at a press meet organised at the district police headquarters.
The accused were identified as Pilu Behera (20) of Bamrei village under Handapa police limits, Sujit Behera (25) of Baramancha village under Chhendipada police limits, Nilam Sahu (27) alias Nilu of Kusumdhara village under Thakuragad police limits and a 14-year-old.
Two other accused Bulu and Dipu, both auto-rickshaw drivers, are absconding after the crime, the SP said. All the six accused are employees of a private consultancy firm Sai Infra Constructions engaged in developing NH-55. They were staying at a camp near the construction site.
The survivor was going with her husband and minor daughter from Sambalpur to Bhubaneswar in a car.
Her husband stopped the vehicle at Nakichi to drink water when she came out with a water bottle and pushed the door. Her husband drove the car for Bhubaneswar assuming that she might have fallen asleep on the rear seat as she has the habit of speaking in a low voice and falling asleep during journeys. After going for 10 km he realised that his wife was not there in the car and drove back to Nakichi to trace her.
He searched for her but failed to trace her despite best efforts. Greatly distressed and shocked at the turn of events, he went to the Handapa police station and lodged a complaint May 5. Police registered a case and launched a search operation by scanning the CCTV footage from the spot till Boinda and collected details about the missing woman.
Two day later, police traced her at her aunt’s house in Jagatsinghpur district and went to bring her back to Angul with her husband. There a medical examination was conducted on her as she recorded her statement at the Athamallik court. Handapa IIC Sunil Kumar Kar during probe found that the woman was gangraped.
The accused picked her to Purunapani jungle near Nakichi on the highway while she was roaming around and took turns on her. Later, they left her back near the highway and fled. Left with no option, the woman took shelter at a shanty along on the highway.
The family living in the shanty came to know about her ordeal after reports were published in the media. The family gave her some money and purchased a bus ticket for her to go back to her house.
Two days later she boarded a bus to Angul and later to Cuttack from where she again boarded a bus to Jagatsinghpur for her aunt’s house. After arriving at Jagatsinghpur she informed the police about the incident. Police will make all efforts to ensure stringent punishment to the accused, the SP said. Senior police officials were present at the press meet.
