Two more held for gangrape of minor girl in Odisha

SAMBALPUR: After converting a case of kidnapping of a minor girl to gangrape, Kuchinda police on Wednesday arrested two of the prime accused for their alleged involvement in the crime.

Kuchinda IIC, B Sankhual said, “The case was registered under section 137 of BNS which has now been turned into section 70 of BNS and investigation in being conducted accordingly. While three accused were already arrested and forwarded to court, we have arrested two others on Wednesday and sent them for medical examination.” The accused are Harihar Pani (30) and Sibadutta Bagh (29).

On the other hand, a fact-finding committee of the BJD led by Snehangini Chhuria visited Hadipali in Kuchinda on the day and met the victim and her family.

The members discussed the further course of action to ensure justice for the victim. Chhuria said, “We got details of the incident from the minor which shook us. We got to know that the police deliberately downplayed the incident possibly due to some sort of pressure. It is indeed a heinous and shameful act.” She said Karma Puja was organised by minister Rabi Narayan Naik at the spot where the incident took place. “The prime accused is a close aide of the minister,” she alleged.