Divyang minor girl gangraped, Odisha Police arrest 3 accused

Three men were arrested on Thursday in connection with the gangrape of a differently-abled (Divyang) minor girl. The incident had occurred a few days ago under the Gudari police limits of Rayagada district, when the victim was returning home with a bundle of firewood.

Also Read: Minor girl ‘raped’ by landlord in Bhubaneswar, accused arrested

According to police sources, the victim’s mother had lodged a complaint at Gudari Police Station on January 6, following which a thorough investigation was launched. Police have now taken the accused men into custody and presented them before the court.

The accused youths had gangraped the 18-year-old and mentally challenged girl on Monday afternoon. The victim was returning home from a cotton field when the accused forced her onto a motorcycle and took her to a nearby cashew orchard. Thereafter, they allegedly committed the heinous act at the secluded place.

Following the family's report, Gudari Police Station IIC Samarpita Swain had registered a case and initiated a detailed probe, leading to the arrest of all three accused.

The swift action by law enforcement has been commended by locals, though authorities have urged continued vigilance to ensure the safety of vulnerable women in the district.

“I had been plucking cotton in a farmland along with my three children. My daughter (the victim) is mentally retarded. I had given her a bundle of firewood and asked her to return home. When she was returning, three youths gangraped her,” the minor’s mother said.

“Following which, I went to the police station and lodged an FIR,” the woman added.

Worth mentioning, earlier in another incident, a minor was allegedly raped in Bhubaneswar by the landlord of a house where her family was staying, according to a complaint filed at the Mahila Police Station on December 12 last year.

The rape survivor, who had sustained serious injuries and trauma, had been admitted to SCB Medical College and Hospital, where she underwent treatment in critical condition.

Reported By: Rakesh Kumar Padhi