Two minor cousins abducted &‘gang raped’ in Odisha’s Berhampur
Berhampur (Manoj Kanta Dash) :Two minor cousins were allegedly raped by four miscreants after abducting the duo in Odisha’s Ganjam under Berhampur Police district, police said on Saturday.
The incident came to light after the mother of one of the victims lodged a complaint at Golanthara police station on Thursday evening. After registering a case, police launched a manhunt to arrest the accused persons, Bibekananda Swain, Inspector-in-Chargr said.
The victims, aged between 11 to 15 years, along with family members had attended a marriage function on Tuesday night in a village. While one of the victims belonged to the nearby village, the other one’s village was about 40 km from the incident site, swain said.
At least two people, one of them earlier known to a victim lured them and they went missing.
As they did not return till late night, worried family members searched them in the nearby areas, (!) police said.
He further added the accused persons took them to a nearby location in their motorbikes and held them captive.
The accused persons were allegedly sexually assaulted before abandoning them.
The victims, however, managed to return home on Wednesday early morning and recounted their ordeal to family members, when they repeatedly asked about them their whereabouts in the night.
Family members of the victim then decided to lodge a police complaint. The accused persons fled from the village after they came to know about the police case against them, the officer said
On Saturday a press meet was held at Berhampur SP office premised.
SP, Berhampur Dr.Saravana Vivek M ., while addressing to Media he said they have formed two police teams and launched a manhunt to nab the accused persons.
The survivors have been produced before the Child Welfare Committee for counselling, adhering to Supreme Court directives.
The incident came to light after the mother of one of the victims lodged a complaint at Golanthara police station on Thursday evening. After registering a case, police launched a manhunt to arrest the accused persons,
The police have also recorded the statements of the victims about the incident and their medical examinations being conducted, the SP said.
According to police sources, the accused had cultivated a friendly relationship with the underage victims. They had gradually gained trust of teh girls before allegedly committing the heinous sexual assault over two days. The victims’ families promptly lodged a formal police complaint after the girls bravely disclosed the incident.
Acting swiftly, Golanthara police launched an extensive investigation, forming two separate teams. Utilizing intelligence and tracking, officers successfully apprehended all four accused while they were attempting to flee towards Visakhapatnam.
