Girl ‘raped’ in Odisha’s Ganjam, accused arrested

Berhampur: A 47-year-old man, who is the owner of a private clinic in Odisha’s Berhampur city, was arrested on the charge of raping a nursing aspirant in an apartment here, police said.

The accused was arrested Tuesday by the Baidyanathpur police station in the city. The police also arrested two other women, aged 21 years and 50 years, on the charge of assisting the accused to rape the 17-year-old girl Monday, a police officer said, adding that the accused was the district president of a labour organisation.

The girl was working in the clinic of the accused and her father had been assured that the owner would facilitate the survivor to study BSC Nursing. He had also promised to provide free accommodation to the girl during her course, the officer said.

On Monday, he took the girl to a room in the apartment where women assistants of the accused gave her some water. After drinking it, she felt dizzy. The accused took her to the bedroom and allegedly raped her, he said.

Later, the survivor went to her aunt’s house and narrated the incident following which the FIR was lodged.

A case was registered under different sections of the BNS and POCSO Act against the accused, Superintendent of Police (Berhampur) Saravana Vivek M said.

Prima facie, it appeared that the accused was a fake doctor with a fake homeopathy degree and ran the clinic. Investigation is underway, the SP said.

The incident came close on the heels of the June 15 alleged gang rape of a college student at Gopalpur in the same district.

Prior to the Gopalpur incident, two minor girls were also raped in Golanthara police station area in the district in the evening of June 5.

PTI

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