BHUBANESWAR: In a shocking incident, a mentally unstable woman was allegedly raped at Bhaunsiapada under Itamati police limits of Nayagarh district, about 82 km away from the state capital, on Wednesday night. The accused Suryakanta Mohanty, a driver, has been arrested on the basis of the statement by the victim.
Police said locals spotted the woman lying in a pool of blood on the verandah of a house in the village on Thursday morning. She was reportedly sleeping outside a house when Mohanty allegedly raped her. The accused reportedly fled after raping her. He was identified after the victim informed the villagers including the sarpanch that he was behind the crime.
The sarpanch alerted the police about the matter and special teams were formed to nab him. Mohanty was arrested from a nearby forested area. The accused and the victim are both residents of Baunsiapada village.
Police sources said the woman was married but her husband reportedly deserted her several years back due to her mental illness. Her family members had also abandoned her. She has a brother and sister-in-law but did not stay in their house regularly and on many days kept wandering in the area.
“It is being treated as a special report (SR) case and will be investigated by the Itamati inspector-in-charge,” said Nayagarh SP Rahul Jain. The case will be investigated under the supervision of the SP. Sources said the accused is unmarried and has criminal antecedents. He was earlier involved in petty offenses like theft.
A case was registered in this connection on Thursday under Section 376 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The scientific team visited the spot for further investigation, said a police officer.