Sambalpur: Police Saturday arrested six persons including a minor on the charge of raping a 15-year-old girl near Sason canal here in the intervening night of Wednesday-Thursday. All of them were acquaintances of the girl. Police said they were being produced in a court.
The incident occurred while the girl had been to meet a friend, one of the accused, near the canal. “The main accused is Afzal Raja. The others are Tinu Sahu, Hadu Panchabihar, Ashirvad Behera, Abhilash Panchabihar and a minor of Sason Bazaarpada here,” police said.
Police said the girl was a friend of Afzal. “He had called her to the canal area. She went to meet Afzal at night. Afzal had sex with her and left the place. While the girl was returning home, two other of her acquaintances came and raped her, leaving her critically injured and bleeding,” police said.
Tired and unable to walk, the girl was sitting by the roadside. Three more youths then approached her on the pretext of helping her. They took her to a secluded place and took turns to rape her. They left her there, battling for her life, as per the police case.
Left unconscious, the girl remained on the spot throughout the night. By morning, she regained strength and returned home.
“She narrated her ordeal to her family members. The family lodged a written complaint at the Sason police station Thursday. Police arrested the main accused Afzal as also the other five Saturday. All the accused and the victim were sent for medical examination at the Sambalpur district hospital Saturday.
They were being produced in court Sunday, police said.