Berhampur: The 10 persons involved in the gangrape of a undergraduate student, while she was on a beach outing with a male friend at Gopalpur to celebrate Raja festival, also extorted Rs 1,000 from the duo after the assault on June 15, police said on Thursday.
Three of the accused took turns raping the 20-year-old while others restrained her companion. They later extorted Rs 1,000 via cash and UPI.
The primary suspect in the case, Pramod Nayak (23) of Hiundata village in Ganjam, was jailed in two separate cases, attempt to murder and for making bombs, some years back and was out on bail. A BTech dropout, he worked at an electronics factory in Bengaluru at a monthly salary of Rs 20,000 and had recently returned home on leave..
Berhampur SP Saravana Vivek M told the media that efforts are on to ascertain whether he and the other accused visited the beach frequently and have committed such offences earlier.
While the incident took place on Sunday evening, the accused, which included 4 minors, were apprehended by Tuesday. The CAW & CW wing of Odisha CID-Crime Branch is currently investigating the case and has collected DNA samples of all 10 accused. Sand samples, cigarette stubs, and other materials linked to the accused and the survivor have also been seized from the crime spot.
The CAW wing is also planning to take the six adult accused first on remand for questioning.
The case is being treated as a “red flag”, which needs increased and meticulous scrutiny with forensic evidence prioritised for lab testing.
On Wednesday, the woman’s male companion, the sole witness, was questioned for over an hour and his statement recorded in audio and video. The Crime Against Women and Children Wing also counselled the survivor.
The incident has triggered widespread public outrage across the state, with protests and demands for stringent action against the accused. The Opposition Congress also staged a demonstration in front of Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi’s residence protesting against the rise in crime against women in the state.
The CM had earlier called it a “heinous crime against humanity” and vowed to ensure the harshest possible legal action against the perpetrators.
(With inputs from PTI)
