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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
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.
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.
