MANOJ KUMAR JENA, OP
Bhubaneswar: A female engineering student was allegedly gangraped by her boyfriend and his three friends in a room at Kaimatia area under Info Valley police limits, police said Wednesday.
The accused have been identified as the victim’s boyfriend Subhankar Padhi (23), and his friends Ranjan Behera (23), Ratiranjan Tarai (24), and Sipun Behera (23); all engineering students. According to sources, Subhankar and the victim, who studied in the same institution, had been in a relationship for the past two years. The incident occurred in April, when Subhankar invited the victim to his apartment. Later, the other three accused came to the apartment and sexually assaulted her. The matter came to light after the victim filed a complaint at the Info Valley police station Tuesday.
Based on the complaint, the police swung into action and arrested the four accused. A forensic team was sent to the crime spot to gather evidence. In the meantime, the victim was sent for medical examination, and her statement was recorded. Sources informed that Subhankar had allegedly recorded a private video of the victim, blackmailed her using the same and later raped her along with his friends. “All the accused involved in the incident have been arrested and forwarded to the court. Further investigation into the matter is underway,” said Info Valley police station Inspector In-Charge (IIC) Gayananda Saha.
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The police have booked the accused under Section 70 (1) of the BNS and forwarded them to the court. It is pertinent to mention that a 67-year-old man had been arrested April 26 this year under Info Valley police limits for attempting to rape an MBA student after intruding into her room in a women’s hostel. With the state’s Capital registering a surge in severe crimes, especially against women, civil society members and intelligentsia criticised the laxity of police and their failure to maintain law and order.
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