Minor Rescued, Man Arrested in Kidnapping and POCSO Case
Desk Odishabarta
Brahmapur, November 15: Baidyanathpur Police have rescued a minor girl who had been missing since March 2025 and arrested a 29-year-old man accused of kidnapping and repeatedly sexually assaulting her. The case, initially registered as a kidnapping case, has now been converted to include serious offences under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the POCSO Act.
According to police, Baidyanathpur PS Case No. 122, dated March 15, 2025, was registered on the complaint of the victim’s father, a resident of Gate Bazar, Brahmapur, after his 17-year-old daughter went missing from home on the afternoon of the same day.
During the investigation, police established that the accused had befriended the minor approximately two months before the incident. On the day she went missing, he allegedly lured her to Gate Bazar Chhak and took her away without her family’s consent.
Police investigation revealed that the accused allegedly kept her confined at different locations in Khordha and subsequently at Ganga Nagar in Brahmapur, where he repeatedly sexually assaulted her. During this period, the minor gave birth to a child, who was approximately 11 months old at the time of her rescue.
Acting on sustained investigation, Baidyanathpur Police rescued the victim from Brahmapur on November 14, 2026, and recorded her statement under Section 180 of the BNSS.
The arrested accused has been identified as Babulu Pattnaik (29), son of Sibaram Pattnaik, a resident of Kalanji Street, Ankuli, Brahmapur, who is reportedly engaged in light, sound and catering services.
Legal Action
Following the emergence of prima facie evidence, police added Sections 137(2) and 64(2)(m) of the BNS, read with Section 6 of the POCSO Act, to the case. The accused has been arrested and forwarded to the Hon’ble Special Court under the POCSO Act, Brahmapur, with a prayer for judicial remand.
