17 Young Girls Rescued From Private Company’ Office in Odisha’s Mayurbhanj

Baripada: As many as 17 young girls, who were allegedly tortured on pretext of providing jobs, have been rescued from the office of a private company in Odisha’s Mayurbhanj district.

According to sources, some people of Bijay Ramchandrapur in Baripada town of the district found one of the girls crying in their area. On being enquired, she told the locals that a private company had hired 17 girls on promise of providing jobs. But they were kept confined in the company’s office and tortured, she alleged.

Later, the locals went to the company’s office and rescued all the girls. On being informed by them, a team from Bhanjapur police station went to the spot and started investigation.

The girls, who were handed over to police, said they belonged to Ganjam, Gajapati and Bargarh districts. The company had taken Rs 30,000 from each of them for engaging them in jobs.

The police have detained the company’s manager Jayahari Khandapatra in this connection. He said they had taken one-time fee of Rs 7,000 for lodging and boarding and Rs 12,000 as security deposit for the products of the company to be sold by each girl.

Meanwhile, School and Mass Education Minister Sudam Marndi also went to the area and enquired about the condition of the rescued girls.