Cuttack: A woman journalist was allegedly abused and molested by a 41-year-old man in broad daylight in Odisha’s Cuttack town, police said today.

The accused has been identified as Bibhu Prasad Swain, an engineer working with Vedanta Sponge Iron Ltd.

The incident took place in front of The Hygienic restaurant at Badambadi in Cuttack at around 2.30 pm, police said.

Following this, the woman scribe has lodged a written complaint at Badambadi police station.

As per the complaint, the victim alleged that she was abused, attacked and molested by Bibhu Prasad Swain in front of Hygienic restaurant here for almost “no reasons”.

She further alleged that the accused claiming himself as a CBI officer picked up an argument with her boyfriend after asking him to show his identify card. The victim’s boyfriend, who is also a journalist, was first targeted and attacked by the accused, as per the complaint.

When she intervend, the accused started hurling abuses and tried to outrage the modesty of the woman in full public view. Seeing this, the passersby and locals rushed to the spot and overpowered the man and handed over him to the police.

Meanwhile, the Badambadi police arrested the accused and have started investigation into the incident.

The local people and police say the accused was heavily drunk while the incident happened. The police have seized his company identity card and other documents, said Badambadi police station Inspector-In-Charge Rashi Ranjan Mohapatra.