Balasore: In a horrific incident, a group of armed miscreants gangraped a woman after assaulting her husband at Ananda Bazaar locality under Sahadevkhunta police limits of this town, in the wee hours of Monday. The incident has left the entire locality shell-shocked. Launching a probe into the incident based on a complaint filed by the victim, police have so far arrested four persons and detained two minors. The four were produced in court Wednesday and remanded to judicial custody. The incident had taken place in the at around 2.00 am when the victim and her husband were returning to their rented house in Arada Bazaar locality from the railway godown which is their place of employment. The couple was waylaid at Ananda Bazaar Chowk by six people.
First they assaulted the man and snatched valuables from him including `10,000. The miscreants also attacked the man with sharp weapons due to which the victim’s husband lost consciousness. Seeing the man senseless, the goons then turned their attention to the victim. They forcibly took her to the Godhibasa ground and gangraped her. Allegedly three of the six raped the victim. The torture would have continued, but the woman somehow managed to escape from the clutches of the miscreants. She rescued her husband and took him to a hospital and got him admitted. Then she went and filed a police complaint here Monday morning.
Police registered a case under various sections of IPC and SC/ST (POA) Act and sent the woman for medical examination. Police also launched a manhunt for the accused. The woman managed to identify one of the accused as Debendra Singh (28), a resident of Sahadevkhunta locality. Police first detained and then arrested him. After interrogating Debendra, police nabbed three of the other accused namely Kanka Singh (25), Bula Sahu (26) and Salkha Murmu (27). Two minor boys were also detained for their involvement in the case. The statement of the woman has been recorded, police said Wednesday and added that further probe was underway.
Police have seized a scooty, a sharp-edged weapon, a country-made pistol, three cell phones and Rs 2,500 in cash from the accused, DSP Manas Deo said at a press meet here Wednesday. Sources said that all the four have confessed to their crime. Police are now trying to ascertain the role of the minors in the ghastly act.
