Six persons were arrested in Odisha’s Rayagada district on charges of raping a minor tribal girl for eight months. The victim, 14, was found to be six months pregnant as a result of the sexual assault. “The six accused have been arrested and sent to court,” officials said.
The six accused had forcibly abducted the girl. They reportedly gang-raped her in a nearby forest. The extremely terrified girl was threatened by the culprits to not disclose the matter to anyone.
Emboldened by her silence, the culprits, aged between 22 and 45 years, continued sexually assaulting her separately. All the accused are married and have children. The oldest accused recently became a grandfather.
When the mother of the victim noticed unusual behaviour in her daughter, she inquired as to what had happened. The girl confessed everything before her mother. Subsequently, an Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) worker took the victim to Gunupur hospital, where a doctor confirmed her pregnancy.
“When I discussed the matter with neighbours, I found out that villagers wanted to settle the matter among them. The parents of the girl were also scared. However, when we gave assurance of protection, the father came forward and said he wanted the culprits to be punished,” said Ramesh Chandra Nayak, Rayagada District Child Protection Officer.
Subsequently, a case was registered and accused were arrested on Thursday evening. They were booked under various sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and under Sections 376(2)(n), 376(3) and 376(b) of IPC. Investigation is going on.
