Crime Branch arrests key accused, accomplice in gangrape case in Odisha’s Dhenkanal

Baruan: Odisha Crime Branch today arrested the prime accused along with his accomplice in a gangrape case that took place earlier on the evening of October 20 in a cashew forest at Baruan locality of Bhuban in Dhenkanal district.

The two arrested were identified as prime accused and 45-year-old Pradeep Sahu alias Padia from Gada Nrusinghaprasad village, and his accomplice Manguli Dehuri alias Baja.

Acting on directives of Cuttack Crime Branch SP Bikash Ranjan Behura, a team led by police Inspector Devi Prasad Das with the assistance of Bhuban PS IIC Naresh Chandra Sahu had been conducting raids at several places for the last two days leading to the arrests. Pradeep was nabbed from a local Mutt in Angul district and Manguli was nabbed from Panikoili locality in Cuttack district.

According to a source, after private bus owners declared to go on strike for an indefinite period and as Dussehra vacation was about to begin, the gangrape survivor asked her male friend to drop her at her native village in Sukinda mines area under Kaliapani police limits of Jajpur district.

The victim student of a college in Bhuban was on her way on a motorcycle to her village along with her male friend when she was gangraped in the forest. On the intervening evening at around 7.30 pm, she and her male friend from her native village were intercepted by two accused youths.

Later, the youths had taken away the key of the male friend’s motorcycle and two more accused reached the spot and joined them. The four youths forcibly picked the college girl to a nearby cashew forest and gangraped. They also captured the entire act through their mobile phones. Even to the extent, they had demanded money to delete the purported video.

The victim girl had lodged an FIR with police the next morning, based on which, a probe was initiated.

It is pertinent to mention, the case was handed over to the Cuttack Crime Branch on November 20.

Another accomplice identified as Bikram Jena from the Gada Nrusinghaprasad village was previously arrested by a probe team in connection with the gangrape case.