Woman lured to Bhubaneswar on false pretext, gangraped; 3 accused nabbed so far

The Twin City Commissionerate Police arrested three men in Bhubaneswar on charges of gangrape after a woman alleged she was drugged and sexually assaulted at a city lodge. The accused, identified as Chandan Kumar Hati alias Chandu (25), Prasanna Kumar Acharya (37) and Rajesh Kumar Das (32), were produced before the court on Saturday following their arrest.

According to the complaint filed with the Mahila Police Station, the accused lured the survivor from her village by promising to introduce her to a music director and help her pursue a singing career.

On September 10, she was allegedly taken to a lodge in Chandrasekharpur, where her drink was spiked. She was then confined in a room and subjected to sexual assault.

Premeditated Crime, Blackmail Angle

The survivor, in her complaint, identified Chandan as the main accused and the one who allegedly lured her to Bhubaneswar. The complaint further reads that when in the lodge, one of the other two accused offered the survivor a spiked soft drink, which made her fall unconscious after consumption.

The three accused then allegedly committed the heinous crime. When the survivor regained consciousness, the three men reportedly held her confined in a room and threatened her not to speak of the crime and sent her home. However, the woman later confided in her elder sister, who then lodged a police complaint.

Based on the survivor’s written complaint, a case was registered, and all three accused were apprehended from Jagatsinghpur district. During interrogation, police stated, the men admitted their involvement in the incident. They were later forwarded to court.

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Police action continues

Police said Rajesh Kumar Das, who worked as the caretaker of Shree Marg Lodge, facilitated the crime by allowing the accused to use the premises. Police confirmed that the accused administered intoxicants to the victim before committing the assault.

As of the last reports, police said that they are pursuing multiple leads to establish the full sequence of events and secure additional evidence. The survivor has been provided medical assistance, while forensic teams have been engaged to support the investigation.