Schoolgirl raped with hands, legs tied in Odisha’s Ganjam, 1 held

Berhampur (Odisha), Jul 1 (PTI) A female student of class 7 was raped allegedly by a distant relative in Odisha’s Ganjam district, police said on Tuesday.

The police arrested a 22-year-old man from a village under the jurisdiction of the Golanthara police station on Tuesday on the charge of raping the minor.

The incident happened on June 28, while the complaint was registered with the police on June 30, a police officer said.

The incident came close on the heels of the gang rape of a college student at Gopalpur sea beach on June 15 and rape of two girls within limits of the Golanthara police station on June 6.

In the recent case, the accused and the 11-year-old victim have undergone medical tests, the police said. The girl's statement has also been recorded.

The police said that the accused is a distant relative of the victim and both are residents of the same village. The accused was arrested from a nearby village.

According to the complaints lodged by the girl’s mother, the accused person forcibly took the victim to a toilet of a school. He had tied the victim's hands and legs before raping her, the Superintendent of Police (SP) of Berhampur, Saravana Vivek M, said, quoting from the complaint letter said.

The accused had fled the spot, leaving the girl in distress. She was, however, located by a villager and rescued.

Police have registered a case against the accused under different sections of the BNS and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and launched an investigation, the SP said.

It is the second incident of rape in the area and third in the district in one month.

The district police was probing into the June 6th minor rape case while Crime Branch of Odisha Police is investigating the Gopalpur gang rape case. PTI COR AAM SBN AAM SBN