Jagatsinghpur Police arrested two brothers for rape, sexual exploitation, blackmail, and extortion after investigating a complaint filed earlier this week.
The accused, Gyana Ranjan Nayak alias Pupu alias Aadi alias Arrix (20) and his elder brother Biswa Ranjan Nayak (24), hail from Ichhapur village in Jagatsinghpur district. Both had been living in rented houses in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack.
Police said the brothers targeted college girls through Instagram and personal contact. They developed relationships, secretly recorded obscene photos and videos, and used them to blackmail and extort money. Investigators found that the duo exploited several women physically, sexually, and financially.
The complainant, an unmarried woman from Jagatsinghpur, met Gyana Ranjan on Instagram while studying in Bhubaneswar in 2024. He befriended her and later blackmailed her with objectionable images. Police said he repeatedly assaulted her sexually and confined her in a rented house in Cuttack. The accused forced her to take abortion pills after she became pregnant.
The woman escaped in May 2025 but delayed reporting due to fear of social stigma. Police discovered that the brothers continued stalking and extorting her and her sister, collecting nearly ₹2 lakh through online transfers and cash. They even used a SIM card in her name to access her Gmail and WhatsApp accounts and circulated obscene content impersonating her.
Police arrested both accused within 24 hours of the complaint and seized multiple smartphones containing explicit material. They will be produced before the court on May 16. Investigation continues to identify other victims of the Instagram exploitation racket.
