BALASORE: The officer-in-charge (OIC) of Gopalpur outpost was arrested by Balasore Town police on Friday on the charge of sexually assaulting a woman constable. The arrested officer was identified as Bansidhar Pradhan. Balasore SP Sudhansu Sekhar Mishra said as per the complaint lodged by the woman constable, she was sent to Gopalpur outpost a day before the cyclone to assist in rescue works though she was serving at Khantapada police station.
On the night she joined duty, the OIC allegedly assaulted her sexually and repeated the crime on the day of the cyclone. Later, the victim lodged a complaint with Eastern Range IG Diptesh Patnaik and the SP. As per the direction of the IG, she filed an FIR in Balasore Town police station basing on which a case was registered on Thursday and the OIC arrested. Town police later produced Pradhan in Balasore SDJM court which remanded him to judicial custody.