74-Year-Old Bhubaneswar Man Booked For Raping, Impregnating Minor Tribal Girl

Bhubaneswar: Police have booked a 74-year-old man here for allegedly raping and impregnating a 15-year-old tribal girl, who worked as a domestic help at his residence.

According to the police complaint lodged by the girl at her native Jajpur district, her employer raped her multiple times over the past two years and sent her back home on October 20 when he suspected that she was pregnant.

The survivor also alleged that the accused had threatened to push her off the roof and harm her family if she spoke about the ordeal to anyone, The Indian Express reported.

The accused is the father-in-law of an Odisha Administrative Services (OAS) officer, who holds a senior post at Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation.

After returning home, the girl narrated everything to her mother. They then approached police and a medical examination confirmed that the girl was pregnant. Police then registered a case against the accused under charges of rape, criminal intimidation and relevant sections of the Prevention Of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act.

However, police are yet to arrest the accused. Investigating officer Sangram Kishore said, “We have conducted all the medical examinations of the girl. Her statement has also been recorded. We are waiting for the ultrasound report to ascertain the exact age of the foetus. Further investigation into the case is underway.”

According to police, the survivor’s father is bedridden from a chronic disease and her mother and brother work as contractual labourers. She was pushed into child labour at the age of 13 to help assist in the treatment of her father.