Cuttack: Sexual violence against women and girl children have grown by unprecedented proportion in Odisha with three more incidents of rape reported today from three separate places in the State. While in one case, a woman was allegedly raped inside an ATM kiosk in Cuttack, in other two instances, two minor girls, a dibyang from Bhadrak and another from Balasore district also faced the violence.
As per sources, on Saturday night, a woman was allegedly raped by two persons inside an ATM counter located at College chhak on Pilgrim road in Cuttack. As per the complaint lodged at the Malgodown Police Station, the woman alleged a security guard and his friend of raping her inside the counter after abducting her from roadside. They then left her in a secluded place nearby, she said.
While a case has been registered in this connection, based on the complaint, police immediately detained the accused security guard and his friend for interrogation.
This apart, police recorded the statement of the survivor under Section 161 of the CrPC. Later, a medical examination was also conducted, sources said.
Meanwhile, police have informed that further investigation will be carried out based on the CCTV footage recovered from the ATM counter.
In another incident in Balasore, a dibyang minor girl was allegedly kidnapped from a residential school in Baliapal before being raped by miscreants. The girl missing since Saturday was rescued by police in a critical condition. She was rushed to Baliapal community health centre initially and later shifted to Balasore DHH.
Another minor girl was also allegedly raped at her relatives’ place in Chandbali of Bhadrak district. The accused Chandan Mahalick, reportedly raped the girl in the house when she was alone.
Chandbali police station IIC Minati Biswal informed that the minor girl had come to one of her relatives' home when a neighbour there raped her after finding her alone in home. "The survivor has been sent for medical examination. A case has been registered and investigation is on,” the IIC added.
Condemning the rising number of rape incidents in Odisha, former MP Baijayant Panda said that there is an urgent need to scale up security and police reforms.