Berhampur/Gopalpur: Two days after a college girl was gangraped on Gopalpur beach in front of her male friend who was assaulted and restrained, police arrested 10 persons, including four minors, in this connection Tuesday.
The adult accused were identified as Pramod Kumar Nayak, 23, of Hundata village under Purushottampur police limits, Baburam Dalei, 23, Lakhsman Pradhan, 24, of Burupada village, Kunal Pradhan, 24, of Patapur village under Hinjili police limits, their associates Om Pradhan, 24, and Deepak Tarai, 19, of Sikiri village under Hinjili police limits.
Pramod, the prime accused, is a history-sheeter and carries cases of attempted murder and bomb-making in his name. He committed the crime when he had come home from Bangalore on holiday.
Four minor boys have also been detained by police in this connection. The accused were produced in the court and remanded to judicial custody, while the minors were produced before a Juvenile Justice Board. Three bikes and eight mobile phones were seized from their possession.
Three of the 10-member group raped the girl while the rest seven beat up the male friend of the survivor and held him hostage, police said. The survivor hailing from outside the district is a student of Plus III final year in a local college.
This was stated by Berhampur SP Saravana Vivek M at a presser organised at Gopalpur police station Tuesday. The Juvenile Justice Board will be requested to treat the four minor accused as adults during the trial in view of the heinous crime, as they have attained the age of 17, the SP said.
Police said that the prime accused Pramod and his friends visited Gopalpur beach and took a bath in the sea. They soon went up to a deserted place and sat there. The survivor and her male friend visited the beach Sunday evening and also sat at a deserted place at some distance from the group of accused.
Seven of the accused then went near the survivor and beat up her male friend while Pramod, Baburam and Kunal dragged the girl and took turns to rape her. They threatened to make a video of her rape and make it viral and extracted Rs 1,000 from the survivor’s male friend and also some money through the payment app PhonePe.
The survivor and her male friend visited the Gopalpur police station and informed the police. Police IIC Prasant Kumar Mallick and his team immediately raided various places and picked up seven persons for interrogation. Three other police teams were formed and the remaining three accused were arrested, he stated, adding that two of them were trying to flee to Bangalore and Surat when police nabbed them.
DSP Akshaya Kumar Panda of Investigative Units for Crime Against Women (IUCAW) is investigating the matter, assisted by a woman DSP Alma Lakra.
Police also collected the blood samples of the survivor for a DNA test, while the blood samples of the three prime accused were collected Tuesday. The statements of the survivor and her male friend were recorded and a case (186/25) was registered in this connection under Section 70(1) (gangrape), 296 (obscene acts and songs), 351(3) (criminal intimidation involving severe threats), 310(2) (a gang of persons associated for the purpose of habitually committing crime) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
The SP said that the police will file the chargesheet in this case very soon and will make all efforts for maximum punishment for the accused persons.
“To avoid a recurrence of such an incident, we will strengthen patrolling on the beach. We have one patrolling vehicle, while a request will be made for deployment of two more vehicles,” the SP said, adding that the local administration is requested to install lights along the beach.
Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister Pravati Parida said she has spoken to the SP and has ordered a thorough investigation, besides taking necessary steps to ensure that such incidents do not happen in the future.
The incident sent shockwaves across the state as tourists from far-off places visit the beach in the Ganjam district.
Leader of the Opposition Naveen Patnaik termed the incident “deeply shocking”. “The news of the gangrape at Gopalpur beach, a major tourist destination in Odisha, is deeply shocking and has left everyone shaken. It is strongly condemned. The safety of women in tourist destinations has been questioned,” he said.
“The government should be vigilant in preventing the increasing atrocities against women every day. The government should take strict steps to ensure the safety and security of women in the state,” he added.
The Opposition party rushed a team to Gopalpur to meet the local administration and the survivor, said BJD vice-president Debi Prasad Mishra.
Congress MLA Sofia Firdous said she was “shaken” by the incident. “This isn’t just a crime; it’s a chilling reflection of the complete collapse of law and order in our state,” she said.
Firdous alleged that the state government has failed to protect the people. “The BJP government must be held accountable for the erosion of public safety under its watch. As a woman, I refuse to stay silent. No delay. No mercy. The guilty must face the harshest punishment. To the survivor: You are not alone. We will not let this be forgotten,” she said.
Local MLA and state minister Bibhuti B Jena said all the accused persons have been arrested and the government would ensure that the culprits get exemplary punishment.
PNN
