Kolkata Native Held For Attack On PG Student Of Odisha’s Samablpur University

Sambalpur: A 35-year-old man has been arrested for the alleged attack on a PG student of Sambalpur University.

The accused has been identified as Rakesh Das, a native of Kolkata. He was staying at Burla

The arrest came a day after Sonali Naik, a PG final-year student of Library Sciences department at Sambalpur University, was found with severe head injuries in a field near Metakani temple in Burla.

According to police sources, Rakesh and Sonali had been chatting on phone for around two months. He asked her meet him at a field near Metakani temple on Wednesday evening. When Rakesh arrived at the spot, he found her taking to someone over phone while waiting for him. Suspecting that she was speaking to some boy, he asked her to disconnect the call immediately. When she refused, the accused flew into a rage, picked up a stone and hit her on the head multiple times before fleeing the spot.

The student, who suffered grievous head injuries and became unconscious, was later found by passersby, who then informed police. Following which, she was admitted to VIMSAR, Burla, for treatment and later shifted to a private hospital in Bhubaneswar.

Meanwhile, police launched an investigation and detained the accused after examining CCTV footage installed in the area. He confessed to the crime during questioning, the sources added.

Police have seized the stone used in the assault as well as mobile phones of both the accused and the victim along with their earphones.