Phulbani: In yet another shocking incident of alleged sexual assault, a 14 year-old girl was reportedly kidnapped, bound and left in a forest by two youths in Belghar in Odisha's Kandhamal district. The abduction came to light after the minor managed to return home early in the morning today and share the ordeal with her family. A youth has been detained after a police complaint was filed by the survivor.

The incident

Preliminary investigation revealed that the girl had gone to the local riverbank to bathe on Sunday morning when two youths intercepted her. They then abducted the teenager and took her to a dense jungle nearby where they allegedly outraged her modesty. The girl claimed that the miscreants tore her clothes, raped her and threatened to make the video viral. The assailants then gagged her, tied up her hands and feet and dumped her in the forest before fleeing. 

The escape and investigation

After a harrowing night alone in the cold jungle, the girl managed to free herself and navigate her way back home today. She narrated the trauma to her family, who immediately approached the authorities. The family has alleged that the minor was raped during the abduction. Acting swiftly on the complaint, Belghar police have detained a youth for questioning. A second suspect remains at large, with search operations intensified in the surrounding forest areas and neighboring villages. The survivor has been sent for a formal medical examination, and a case has been registered under relevant sections of the BNS and the POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) Act.

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