Dhenkanal: Police have arrested a 46-year-old man from Andhra Pradesh for his alleged role in luring and trafficking a 17-year-old tribal girl from Kamakhyanagar, who endured nearly two years of repeated rape and confinement in Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh.
The accused, identified as Binay Patra, who worked as a security guard in a private firm in Visakhapatnam, was apprehended by a police team led by Inspector Ashish Jena and brought to Kamakhyanagar on Saturday. He has been booked under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and remanded to judicial custody.
According to the survivor’s complaint filed on May 23 at Kamakhyanagar police station, her ordeal began in 2024 when Patra approached her in Kankadahada area of Dhenkanal, where she
was living after her mother’s second marriage, under the pretext of a job in Bhubaneswar. Instead of employment, she and reportedly several other girls were trafficked to Jhansi and handed over to one Ashish Yadav.
The girl alleged that she was confined in Ashish’s home for about three months, where she was repeatedly sexually assaulted by Ashish and his father, Kalyan Yadav. She became pregnant as a result and was forced to undergo an abortion arranged by Ashish’s mother, Urmila Yadav. Following the abortion, Ashish allegedly sold her to Chandrapal Kushwah for Rs 50,000.
At Chandrapal’s residence, the nightmare intensified. The survivor claimed Chandrapal, his elder brother, and two uncles repeatedly raped her over the next two years while keeping her in strict confinement, preventing any contact with the outside world.
Earlier this month, the girl managed to escape and reached Jhansi, where she attempted to file a complaint with the help of a local advocate. However, she alleged that Jhansi police provided her with a train ticket back to Odisha instead of initiating immediate action. She arrived home on May 18 and formally lodged the FIR on May 23.
Dhenkanal Superintendent of Police Abhinav Sonkar confirmed that two teams have been dispatched to Uttar Pradesh to arrest the remaining accused, including Ashish Yadav, Kalyan, Chandrapal Kushwah, and others. Sonkar said he has spoken with the Jhansi SP, who has assured full cooperation.