A shocking incident of harassment has emerged from Puri, where six youths allegedly misbehaved with three girls returning home from tuition classes near Samanga parking on Monday night.
While two of the accused were caught and handed over to police, four managed to escape.
According to sources, the youths had reportedly been stalking the girls for a few days. At around 8:30 pm, the group intercepted the girls near a conch stone landmark on a deserted stretch leading to Kanthapura village and tried to physically harass them, with one even attempting to snatch a purse.
One of the girl’s brothers, Abhimanyu Baral, reached the spot during the altercation and attempted to stop the assailants. Another companion immediately alerted the Police Control Room (PCR). Before the PCR van arrived, four of the perpetrators fled, but two were caught by locals and handed over to police.
A written complaint was filed at Puri Sadar Police Station around midnight. Officers visited the location, conducted a preliminary inquiry, and launched a manhunt for the remaining four.
Puri Sadar IIC Sunil Kumar Pradhan confirmed the filing of an FIR. “Two of the accused are currently being interrogated. Efforts are on to arrest the remaining four,” he said.
The accused are reportedly residents of Brahmagiri. As of the latest update, no further arrests have been made.