Odisha: 22-year-old arrested, 5 minors sent to correctional homes in girl’s gang rape

Odisha police arrest 22-year-old and send 5 minors to correctional homes over gang rape of a minor girl, viral video sparks investigation

Published on: Feb 4, 2026, 22:08:01 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

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Bhubaneswar: A 22-year-old man was arrested, and five minor boys were sent to correctional homes for allegedly gang-raping a minor girl in December last year in Odisha‘s Bolangir district, police said.

Police said that a team led by District Superintendent of Police (SP) Abhilash G is conducting a thorough probe. (Representative photo)

The girl’s family lodged a complaint with police on Tuesday after a video of the incident, allegedly recorded and posted online, went viral on social media. The police detained all six, including main suspect Sushant Sahu, on the same day.

The five minors, who were classmates of the Class 9 survivor, were sent to a correctional home in Rourkela after being produced before the Juvenile Justice Board, Northern Range Inspector General (IG) Himanshu Lal said.

The girl had gone to attend evening tuition classes at the government school where she studies.

Sahu allegedly entered the classroom as the teacher was absent, along with the five minors, and persuaded the girl to accompany them. “The minor was then taken to an isolated location nearby where she was gang-raped,” an officer said.

“They recorded the act on their mobile phones and circulated the video on Instagram and Facebook, threatening the survivor against lodging a police complaint,” the officer added.

Police said that a team led by District Superintendent of Police (SP) Abhilash G is conducting a thorough probe.

The SP said a case was registered under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Information Technology (IT) Act.

“While the crime reportedly took place in December, it remained suppressed as the accused were allegedly threatening the girl. The investigation is now focused on identifying those responsible for filming and circulating the clip,” the SP added.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty
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.Read More

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