Bhubaneswar: Maitree Vihar police have rescued two children, who were allegedly branded with hot kitchen tongs for three days for allegedly opposing ‘extramarital affairs’ of their mother in Bhubaneswar.
The incident was reported from Mahavir slum of Chandrasekharpur. Both the woman, Sumitra Mohapatra (30), and her male companion, Raju Nayak (35), have been arrested.
According to sources, the woman’s lover allegedly burnt her 15-year-old daughter and 11-year-old son by locking them inside a room at their residence in Salia Sahi for three days on the pretext to discipline them when they opposed their relationship. The children were not even allowed to attend school during this period.
“There was a heated exchange between the brother-sister duo and their mother Sumitra and Raju on Monday. They burnt the girl’s left hand and the boy’s leg below his knees after locking them in a room,” said an officer of Maitri Vihar police station.
The abuse came to light when the children managed to contact their father, Prasanna Mohapatra, who works as a mason in Angul and living there for past one year. Prasanna returned to Bhubaneswar on Wednesday, rescued the children, and took them to Maitri Vihar police station to report the crime.
Raju was nabbed after a series of raids on Thursday night. He was allegedly in a relationship with the woman for around seven months. While Sumitra worked as a domestic help in the same flat where Raju was employed as a driver.
Both have been booked under Sections 126 (2), 118 (1), 109, 351 (2), and 3 (5) of BNS for attempt to murder, causing voluntary obstruction, causing hurt, criminal intimidation, and having common intention.