Rescue of mother-daughter duo: No complaint of rape as yet, says Sundargarh SDPO

A middle-aged woman and her daughter who were rescued by Sundargarh MLA Kusum Tete while roaming around naked are natives of Chhattisgarh and not Jharkhand, it was learnt.

The two women, aged about 45 and 27, have been identified by their relatives. The woman’s younger sister has identified them and testified with Sundargarh Town Police, informed SDPO Himanshu Behera.

“During investigation, it was learnt that the two women are from Chhattisgarh. The woman’s younger sister has identified them. They are mentally unwell and had come out of their house on Wednesday. Since then their family members have been searching for them. Their family members want to take them back home. Necessary steps will be taken as the law,” SDPO Himanshu Behera said who visited the ‘Astha Gruha’ and checked on the health condition of the victims.

When questioned if they were raped, the SDPO stated, “We have not received any complaint of rape from their family members. We are yet to confirm if they were sexually exploited. We are probing the case from all angles and strict action will be taken if any such crime is committed to them.”

The woman has been unwell and mentally unstable since her husband’s death who died eight years back, the woman’s sister has revealed to police. However, the circumstances under which they reached Odisha and why they were roaming around naked are yet to be ascertained.

It is worth mentioning here that the two women were spotted walking along College Road, one of the busiest roads in Sundargarh, with no clothes on. Sundargarh MLA Kusum Tete, who was going to attend a demonstration, spotted them and covered them with shawls.

The incident has spread shockwaves as on-lookers and passers-by, instead of offering help, were spotted recording and taking pictures of them.