A 33-year-old man from Karnataka was arrested by Bhubaneswar police on Sunday after a young Odia woman alleged that he sexually assaulted her at a city hotel after hiding his identity.
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Police officials said Irfan Ansari from Bidar district of Karnataka allegedly befriended the woman on social media by introducing himself as Jairam Sharma. Over time, he won her trust on the pretext of marriage and subsequently called her to a hotel in Bhubaneswar, where he allegedly sexually assaulted her.
“The situation turned violent when the woman, after discovering his real identity, confronted the accused. Thereafter, Ansari allegedly assaulted her in anger. The woman, however, managed to escape from the hotel room and immediately lodged a complaint,” Sahid Nagar police station inspector-in-charge Suchitra Birya Das said.
Police said Ansari was also attempting to take the woman back to Karnataka with him and was allegedly exerting mental pressure on her, including attempts to influence her in religious matters.
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A case has been registered against the accused under charges of rape, criminal conspiracy and kidnapping.
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A case has been registered against the accused under charges of rape, criminal conspiracy and kidnapping.
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The police have produced the accused before a local court, and officials said they are investigating whether Ansari is linked to similar cases elsewhere.
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.
