Bhubaneswar: A 36-year-old man was arrested in Odisha for allegedly raping a 23-year-old woman after exploiting her vulnerability following a job fraud incident, police said Monday.
Police said the victim woman lodged a written complaint at Dhauli Police Station Sunday. Although the alleged rape took place within the jurisdiction of Pipili Police Station, Dhauli police promptly registered a Zero FIR and initiated action.
The accused, identified as Himangshu Samal alias Jitu of Badachana in Jajpur district, allegedly took advantage of the woman’s fear of police action after she became entangled in a job scam.
According to police, the victim had been searching for a job and came into contact with a man who promised to arrange employment for her. She reportedly paid him Rs 30,000 in exchange for the promised job.
Investigators said the fraudster later transferred around Rs 2 lakh to the victim’s bank account. The money was allegedly collected from other job aspirants who had also been duped by the scammer.
Alarmed by the unexpected transfer and fearing they could face legal trouble because the money had been routed through their account, the victim and her family sought help from Samal, who was a relative.
Police said Samal then allegedly hatched a plan to exploit the situation. Using a different phone number, he called the woman and falsely identified himself as a police officer. After receiving the call, the victim contacted Samal and informed him about the purported police communication.
Samal allegedly assured the woman that he would help her resolve the matter and suggested that they visit Dhauli police station to lodge a complaint.
However, instead of taking her to the police station, he allegedly took her to a hotel under Pipili police station limits. Police said Samal repeatedly gave excuses to prevent the woman from leaving the room and managed to keep her there until night.
He then allegedly raped the woman in the hotel room.
Police have arrested the accused and launched an investigation into the case. Further details were awaited.
PNN
