Berhampur: Stepping up its investigation into the Gopalpur beach gangrape case, the Crime Branch of Odisha Police is set to conduct test identification (TI) parade of six accused persons lodged in Berhampur jail.
As per information, the Crime Against Women and Children Wing (CAW & CW) of the Crime Branch had moved the Judicial Magistrate First Class (Rural) Court in Berhampur seeking permission to conduct TI parade of the accused persons in the sensational case.
The court has granted permission for the exercise, and the TI parade is scheduled to be held on Friday and Saturday. The parade will be held in the presence of a judicial magistrate inside the jail, where the survivor will be asked to identify the accused. Her mail friend will also be present during the parade.
It may be noted that the incident took place when the 20-year-old woman and her mail friend visited Gopalpur beach on June 15 evening on the occasion of Raja Festival.
As part of the investigation, the Crime Branch has been already recorded the statements of the survivor and her male friend before the court under Section 183 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
Six of the ten accused are currently lodged in Berhampur jail, while four others, who are juveniles, are being held in an observation home.
The Crime Branch team has been gathering evidence and interviewing witnesses, including locals who rushed to the scene after hearing the victim’s cries for help.
The Crime Branch has seized seven mobile phones so far, with one additional phone seized on the third day of investigation. The team has also taken custody of the First Information Report (FIR) from the Gopalpur police station and registered a new case.
The investigating team is working to gather more evidence and identify the perpetrators involved in the heinous crime.
Medical examinations of the survivor and the accused were conducted at MKCG Medical College and Hospital at Berhampur on June 16. Blood and other samples were collected for DNA testing. On Tuesday, the six adult accused were remanded to judicial custody while the four minors were presented before the Juvenile Justice Board (JJB).
A team of the CAW & CW led by IG S Shyni reached Berhampur on Wednesday to take charge of the probe. The team visited the crime scene and recorded statements of the survivor and her male friend, who had accompanied her to the beach. Sand samples, cigarette stubs, and other materials from the crime scene were also seized.
The incident was tagged as a Red Flag case. As per norms, forensic evidence in Red Flag cases is prioritised for examination at forensic laboratories. (SFSL) at Bhubaneswar, said FMT Professor Sudipta Das of MKCGMCH.
She said the rape survivor informed doctors during medical test that the accused had used condoms. This indicates that the perpetrators not only came prepared to commit the crime but also took measures to destroy evidence like habitual offenders.
