Jagatsinghpur: Amid the sudden surge in sexual violence against women in the State, police have arrested two elderly brothers on charges of gangraping a 15 year-old girl in Kujang block of Odisha's Jagatsinghpur district on Thursday. The shameful incident comes barely two days after an 18 year-old girl was gangraped by two youths in a farmland while returning from a friend's birthday party in the same district.

The heinous crime came to light after the minor was found to be six months pregnant. The accused duo, both in their sixties, were identified as Bhagyadhar Das and Panchanan Das of Banashbara village.

As per reports, the elderly siblings were working as a cook and pujari in the village mutt (monastery). Since the girl was from the same area and used to visit the place often, they took advantage of her naivety over time and gangraped her. 

While the girl initially kept quiet, she shared the ordeal when her health deteriorated and her pregnancy was detected. After getting to know about the incident, her parents reached out to the police where they alleged that apart from gangraping their minor daughter, the accused brothers offered them money to remain silent about the issue and terminate the pregnancy failing which they would face dire consequences. 

Official sources said the accused brothers will be produced in court today. Another person, who allegedly forced the victim's father to compromise and threatened to eliminate the girl if the family failed to keep the crime under wraps, has also been detained for interrogation after the family named him in their complaint, they informed.

The incident has intensified the public outrage across the region as safety of women continue to be violated with alarming disdain in recent times.