Konark: A woman was allegedly gang-raped by 12 youths in a closed room at a market complex here, and was rescued by police Wednesday.
Sources said the woman had come from West Bengal’s Howrah area lured by a job offer. After that she got involved in flesh trade and was into that for a year.
Police said the woman was raped in a closed room for around 10 days in the newly construction market complex at Konark.
Narrating her ordeal, the survivor said that she was forced by two youths to engage in sex with customers despite her ill health.
On Wednesday, when she refused to have sex with a customer the two pimps snatched her mobile phone and tortured her.
The woman planned to expose the pimps and tried to jump from the roof of the building in their absence. However, the passport size photocopies and copies of the Aadhaar cards of the pimps fell on the ground. Soon after, the locals informed the Konark police and Champahar fire services personnel over the issue.
Police reached the spot and rescued her in a critical condition, and seized documents from the room.
Champahar fire services personnel also reached the spot and sent the woman to the Gop community health centre. She was shifted to the district headquarters hospital in Puri when her condition deteriorated.
Locals said the incident happened due to illegal construction of a lodge in Konark, and that the police have not raided them.
Perturbed over the incident, locals demanded intervention of the director general of police and the Puri superintendent of police to stop flesh trade in Konark.
Konark police station in-charge Sanjib Kumar Pradhan said the police would take strong action against criminals.
PNN
