Jharsuguda: Police in Odisha’s Jharsuguda district have arrested three persons, including a 19-year-old woman, in connection with the alleged rape of a 13-year-old girl after being abducted from district headquarters hospital here on Monday.
According to police, the minor had accompanied her aunt to the hospital to visit her uncle, who was undergoing treatment. While there, she was approached by acquaintances and lured outside the ward.
Jharsuguda SDPO Umashankar Singh stated that the victim knew the prime accused, Raja Besan (24), a resident of the Buromal area, through Instagram. Upon learning of her presence at the hospital, Besan arrived with two associates — Akash Pradhan (20) and Tripti Naik (19).
Investigators said Besan instructed Akash and Tripti to call the girl out from the ward. Once she stepped outside, the trio allegedly took her to a nearby forested area, where Besan raped her before the group fled the scene.
Airport police registered a case based on the complaint and launched a probe. Akash and Tripti were arrested from the Buromal area on Tuesday, following which Raja was apprehended. All three accused have been booked under relevant sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and produced before a local court.
Sanjukta Mahapatra, Chairperson of the Child Welfare Committee (CWC), confirmed that the minor underwent a medical examination.
