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Woman raped by 4 men in Odisha's Mayurbhanj; 3rd such incident in state this week
A 31-year-old woman was gang-raped in Mayurbhanj, days after similar assaults on a college student in Gopalpur and a minor girl in Keonjhar shocked Odisha.
Odisha has hit headlines for a series of alleged disturbing sexual assault cases, with three gang rapes reported across the state in the last few days. In the latest case, a 31-year-old woman from Mayurbhanj district was allegedly raped by four men known to her family, PTI news agency quoted police as saying on Thursday.
According to the complaint lodged by the victim’s husband, the accused entered the house when he and other family members were away. The incident took place in a village under the jurisdiction of Baripada Sadar police station on Monday night, PTI quoted officials as saying.
The four men allegedly took the woman to another location in the area covered by a different police station and raped her, they said.
After the assault, they reportedly threatened to kill her if she told anyone about the incident. The woman was later admitted to a government hospital, where she is undergoing treatment. Her condition is said to be stable.
Baripada Sadar police station inspector-in-charge Aditya Prasad Jena said that the victim has identified all four accused, but they are currently absconding. “A special team has been formed to trace and arrest the accused,” Jena said.
College student gangraped
The incident comes amid other similar crimes reported this week. On Sunday, a 20-year-old college student was allegedly raped by around 10 men at Gopalpur beach in Ganjam district while celebrating the Raja festival with a friend.
The police have arrested all 10 accused, including four minors. The six adults have been identified as the key perpetrators. The National Commission for Women (NCW) has asked the Odisha Director General of Police (DGP) to ensure swift and time-bound investigations.
Also read: NCW asks Odisha DGP to ensure swift probe into student’s gang-rape at Gopalpur beach
In a third case, a 17-year-old girl was allegedly gang-raped, murdered, and her body was found hanging from a tree in Keonjhar district on Tuesday. The minor went missing on Monday night after going out of her house to relieve herself. Two persons have been detained in connection with the case, said Laxmikant Pradhan, the inspector-in-charge of Pandapada police station.
