Puri: The police, Sunday, claimed to have arrested the fourth accused in the gangrape of a minor girl in the official quarters of a police constable in the city here, December 2.
Bulu Barik, the fourth accused in the gangrape case, was on the run since the incident, police said.
According to police, Barik had managed to escape to Kolkata immediately after the incident. However, he returned to Odisha and took shelter at one of his relative’s residence in Chekaguda area of Rayagada. On a tipoff, a special squad of Puri police arrested Barik near Nagabali bridge in Rayagada, said a police officer.
Police had earlier arrested main accused Jitendra Sethi and two other accused—Rajesh Sethi and Ram Chandra Pradhan.
The girl was allegedly gangraped by two persons including Jitendra Sethi, a former police constable, inside a police quarters near Jhadeswari Club in the town.
The police quarters where the crime was committed had been allotted to the dismissed constable’s wife who is also a constable, sources said.
A case has been registered against the accused under the POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) Act besides the IPC.
While waiting at Nimapara bus stand, around 30 km from Puri, the girl was offered a lift by the dismissed constable and his friends. They took her to the temple town and allegedly raped her.
The victim managed to flee from the police quarters as the accused were in an inebriated condition.
DIG, Central Range, Asish Singh, had said chargesheet would be filed within 20 days from December 2 as the case was taken up on a priority basis.