Lawyer arrested for raping woman on pretext of marriage

Deogarh: The Deogarh police Tuesday arrested a lawyer who allegedly raped a woman on multiple occasions on the pretext of marriage following a relationship that began over an Odia matrimonial site.

The accused was identified as Rohit Kumar Pradhan of Balita village under the jurisdiction of Barkote Police Station. He practices at the Deogarh District Court.

An officer from Deogarh police station said that the victim, who lives in Deogarh municipality area, became acquainted with Rohit February 19, 2021, through an Odia matrimonial site. “Their relationship soon progressed through social media and phone conversations, eventually turning romantic,” the officer added.

In her complain, the victim alleged that Rohit used to visit her home frequently. On June 29, 2021, he took her to Chikini Ghat and, despite her protests, established physical relationship with her in a car. Though the woman later married another person July 14, 2021, Rohit allegedly continued to contact her and threatened to leak photos of their intimate moments.

“He coerced her into abandoning her husband, promising once again to marry her if she filed for divorce. The victim, under pressure, left her husband and returned to her parental home,” the officer said.

The accused is said to have taken the victim to multiple places and continued physical relationship with her under repeated assurances of marriage. However, when she insisted on formalising their relationship, Rohit allegedly delayed the matter indefinitely and avoided further commitment, the officer said.

Matters escalated when the victim visited Jagannath Enterprises, a shop owned by the accused in Barkote, where she was allegedly assaulted by Rohit and his parents.

Following the incident, she filed a complaint at Deogarh police station November 24, 2024. Based on her statement, a case (No. 564/24) was registered against Rohit and his parents under various penal Sections. Police said Rohit went underground following the registration of the case, and had also filed for anticipatory bail in the High Court. However, the court rejected his plea April 16 and directed him to surrender before a lower court within 21 days. Despite this, he continued to evade arrest.

A police team led by SI Rudra Narayan Pradhan arrested Rohit from a place in Forest Park area of Bhubaneswar, before formally arresting him Tuesday. He was produced before a court, which remanded him to judicial custody.

PNN

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