Puri: Odisha Police arrested three men in connection with the alleged rape of a teenage college student from Cuttack after she was lured to Puri through a relationship that began on social media, officials said Thursday. One suspect remains at large as police continue manhunt.
The main accused, 22-year-old Satabrata Parida, met the 17-year-old girl on a social media platform, and their interaction later developed into what police described as a romantic relationship, officials said.
In November, he allegedly forced her to travel with him to Puri, where he and two associates, Soumya Ranjan Parida and Kailash Chandra Behera, sexually assaulted her at a location in the temple town, according to reports.
All three arrested suspects are residents of the Jajpur district. They were booked under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act and other relevant sections for alleged rape and related offences Police added.
Cuttack Zone-II ASP Girija Shankar Chakraborty said the fourth accused, who was also present during the incident, remains absconding, and search operations are underway to apprehend him.
The case has drawn attention amid concerns over the grooming of minors on social media, where predators use fake friendships and romantic promises to lure victims, police said.