Berhampur: A 35-year-old widow residing with her mother in Gandhi Nagar here has alleged that she was raped by former Congress MLA Ramesh Jena who has been arrested and sent to jail in connection with several other criminal cases.
Berhampur Superintendent of Police Ashis Singh said the widow has lodged an FIR against Jena in Town police station Friday in this regard.
Based on the FIR, a case was lodged under Sections 354-C, 376 (2) N, 376-D and 377 of the IPC, Singh said.
The widow in her FIR alleged that Jena was collecting extortion money from her husband who had a transport business. After her husband died of cerebral malaria in 2004, she tried to run the business, but Jena conspired and foiled it.
The lady said she was forced to sell all the buses. In 2013, Jena along with Bidhu Bisoyi , one of his associates, came to her Berhampur house and raped her.
The former Congress MLA also threatened to kill all her family members if she disclosed the incident to anyone. Despite the threat, she approached the police but the police did not cooperate, the widow alleged.
She said, Jena and two of his associates January 28 last came to the house of her mother in the night when she was watching television alone and forced her to engage in unnatural sex.
Singh has deployed a lady constable for the security of the victim widow from Saturday. A police officer would also pay regular visits to the house of the widow to ensure her safety as she apprehended risk to her life, he said.
A total of 17 cases have been registered against Ramesh Jena since he was arrested, Singh said. PTI