In a shocking incident that has once again cast a shadow over the Odisha capital, two men were arrested on Friday for allegedly gang-raping a 17-year-old girl in a rented room in Saheed Nagar.
The victim, a minor, was reportedly lured to Bhubaneswar under the pretext of a data entry job by one of the accused, who is known to her.
According to police sources, the girl arrived at the rented accommodation on a promise of employment from a familiar individual. The assault occurred on December 18 around 2:00 PM, when the two accused allegedly subjected her to non-consensual sexual acts. The victim managed to escape and lodged a complaint at Saheed Nagar Police Station late on December 19 at approximately 9:30 PM.
Acting swiftly on the FIR, officers from the Commissionerate Police registered a case under Section 70(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) read with Section 6 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, given the complainant’s age of 17 years and 7 months. Multiple teams were immediately mobilized, leading to the arrest of both suspects, who were produced before the court on the same day.
A forensic team was also dispatched to the crime scene, where evidence was meticulously collected to aid the ongoing investigation.
Deputy Commissioner of Police confirmed the arrests
