Bhubaneswar: In a significant development in the minor girl sexual assault case in Bhubaneswar, a three-member team from the State Commission for Women (SCW) visited Laxmisagar Police Station today.

The team, comprising Urmila Mohapatra, Pratibha Satapathy, and Sasmita Das, also met the victim at the Capital Hospital, where she is receiving treatment. One of the team members indicated the victim may be withholding some information. After assessing the site where a suspected sex racket involving the victim was reportedly operating, the SCW team said it would submit a detailed report to the Commission’s Chairperson.

The incident came to light on October 17, when a 16-year-old girl was rescued in critical condition after allegedly being sexually assaulted in Bhubaneswar. Preliminary investigations revealed the girl is from Jharkhand. She was found unconscious, with multiple injuries, on the roadside in Ashoknagar late at night.

Initially, locals mistook her for a mentally challenged person. Later, some autorickshaw drivers noticed her in distress and immediately took her to Capital Hospital, informing the police en route.

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The Capital Police have registered an FIR under the relevant sexual assault sections of the BNS, and an investigation is currently underway.