Bhubaneswar: The Commissionerate Police have arrested a man accused of sexually assaulting a 23-year-old woman in a hotel room at Pipili in Odisha’s Puri district.
The accused has been identified as Jitu Samal.
A Trap Built on False Promises
The ordeal reportedly began with a family acquaintance. The woman’s mother, who works as a cook in Bharatpur area, had previously shared Samal’s contact details with her daughter, trusting him to help in emergencies.
The situation grew complicated after the mother allegedly paid Rs 30,000 to an unidentified individual for a job placement. While no job materialised, large sums of money ranging between Rs 1-2 lakh were mysteriously credited to the survivor’s bank account, sparking severe anxiety for the family. When they turned to Samal for advice, he assured them he would “handle” any potential police inquiries.
The trap began on June 5, when the victim missed a call from an unknown number. A quick search on a caller-identification app displayed a photo of a police officer. When she alerted Samal, he claimed the call was from the Dhauli police station and instructed her to meet him.
Lured to a Hotel and Assaulted
On June 6, the woman traveled from Jayadev Vihar to Dhauli to meet Samal. Instead of taking her to the police station Samal drove her to the hotel under Pipili police limits.
After checking into the hotel around 7:30 pm, Samal left under the pretext of visiting Dhauli police station. He returned later that night, claiming they would meet an Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) the following morning. Despite the victim’s repeated requests to return to her hostel, Samal pressured her to stay overnight.
According to the police complaint, Samal’s behaviour quickly turned abusive. He allegedly forced her to pose for intimate photographs and videos as a couple, demanding she pretend to be his wife or girlfriend. The survivor allege that Samal then raped her. When she attempted to flee the room, he threatened her with severe consequences, forcing her to stay through the night in fear. Out of desperation, she lied to her mother over the phone, claiming she was safe in her hostel room.
Swift Action by Dhauli Police
The following morning, June 7, Samal dropped the survivor off near her hostel and took the contact numbers of her family members, blackmailing her to keep quiet. Defying his threats, the woman narrated her ordeal to her mother and proceeded to Dhauli police station to lodge a formal complaint.
While initial verifications revealed that the crime actually took place under Pipili police limits, the Commissionerate Police, , citing the sensitivity, urgency, and humanitarian considerations, immediately registered a case at Dhauli police station instead of opting for a Zero FIR or redirecting the survivor. Following which, the Dhauli police station IIC tracked down and arrested Samal.
