Mrunal Manmay Dash

Bhawanipatna: After a girl was allegedly gang raped inside a forest in Kalahandi district, a probe has been launched to arrest the culprits, police said on Monday.

The incident took place in the afternoon of September 14 near Junagarh, 25 km from Bhawanipatna and the police swung into action after the woman lodged an FIR late on Sunday night, Kalahandi Superintendent of Police, B Gangadhar said.

The rape survivor had apparently remained silent on the incident out of fear and shame and approached the police after a video of the crime recorded by her tormentors went viral in social media, police said.

In her complaint, the woman said she had come to Bhawanipatna for some work on September 14 and was waiting at the bus stand to return to Junagarh when an acquaintance of her gave her lift on his motorcycle.

Later, a group of five to six men with covered faces stopped the motorcycle and pulled her out while brandishing a knife, police said quoting her complaint.

The miscreants then dragged her into the forest and gang raped her before fleeing the spot, the police said quoting the FIR. The accused later uploaded a video of the act on social media which went viral. Then the woman lodged a complaint at Junagarh Police station on Sunday night.

"The woman has been examined and her statement recorded, while the man who had given her lift on his motorcycle was detained and interrogated," the SP said.

The police have examined the spot of the crime, he said. The cyber wing of the police has also launched an operation to track the accused and they are expected to be caught soon, the SP added.

Chairperson of Odisha Commission for Women, Minati Behera will visit the spot tomorrow to take stock of the situation. She has directed the police to take appropriate steps to stop circulation of that viral video.

State Minister Dibya Shankar Mishra said, “I have spoken to the SP and ADG Crime, asked the district administration to submit a report on this.”

(With PTI inputs)

 

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