Berhampur: Altogether ten persons, including four minors, have been arrested by the police in connection with the alleged gangrape of a woman in front of her male friend on Gopalpur beach in Odisha’s Ganjam district, police said on Tuesday.
All the accused, reported to be from Hinjili area in the district, were apprehended on the basis of a formal complaint lodged with the police by the survivor. The four minors were produced before the Juvenile Justice Board (JJB).
As per sources, the 20-year-old woman and her male friend had gone to Gopalpur beach to celebrate Raja festival on Sunday night. At around 8.30 pm, the two were sitting in a secluded spot on the beach when a group of over ten miscreants intercepted them and extorted Rs 1000 cash after clicking their pictures. The gang demanded more payments through digital mode and threatened to make the photographs viral if the two failed to comply.
Five of the accused persons caught the male friend, while the rest overpowered the woman. Three of them took turns to rape the woman while others kept the male friend and woman under watch. Around 10 pm they left the two after threatening them with dire consequences if they report the matter to the police.
The survivor and her friend reached Gopalpur police station and narrated the incident. Following a complaint, Gopalpur police registered a case and launched an investigation. Sources said three of the accused were trying to flee to another state but were nabbed by the police before them could manage.
Initially seven accused were detained for interrogation. After a thorough probe, all the accused, persons were taken into custody.
Medical examination of the survivor has been conducted and further investigation is in progress.
Berhampur Superintendent of Police Saravana Vivek M said a special team has been formed to speed up the investigation and ensure justice to the survivor. Senior police officials have also visited the crime scene and collected evidence.
Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister Pravati Parida expressed concern over the incident. In a post on X, she said she has spoken to the SP and sought a thorough probe into the crime. Parida has also asked the SP to take concrete steps to prevent recurrence of such incidents.
