ROURKELA: Rourkela police has acted swiftly and submitted charge sheets in the two shocking gang-rape cases that had rocked the steel city in September.
Reliable sources informed that police submitted charge sheet in the two incidents that had taken place on September 21 and 22. It tagged them as ‘red flag cases’ and filed charge sheets within 56 to 59 days. Trial has already begun in one.
On the evening of September 21, two minor girls aged 14 and 15 years were taken from near busy Bisra Square by three local youths and gang-raped about 100 meters away at a plantation site along the boundary of Birsa Munda multi-purpose stadium.
DIG (western range) Brijesh Kumar Rai said the three accused were charge sheeted on November 17 and trial has already begun. The next date of hearing is on Febraury 26, 2025. He said police expects conviction in the case by March.
In the other case, where a 17-years-old college girl was gang-raped by five persons in two episodes on September 22, charge sheet was filed against seven accused persons and trial would start shortly.
The cases tagged as ‘red flag’, Rourkela SP Nitesh Wadhwani has been regularly monitoring the progress and investigating officers (IOs) have completed all legal formalities for speedy trial.
Wadhwani said efforts are underway to file charge sheet against three culprits in the Uditnagar police station case for gang-rape of a 15-years-old girl on December 17. Quick action would work as a deterrent against such crimes, he said. In the case, the victim was taken to a house in Bisra block where two youths raped her and a 55-years-old fish vendor molested the victim.
The Rourkela SP said all police stations under Rourkela police district have been instructed to immediately act in complaint of crimes against minor girls and women without fail.