BHADRAK: Amid widespread outrage over the recent Chandbali minor rape and murder case in Odisha’s Bhadrak district, another disturbing allegation of rape involving a minor girl has surfaced from the Dhamara area. Traumatised by the assault, the victim attempted death by suicide by consuming poison.
According to sources, the incident occurred on 17 December when the minor was alone at home in the kitchen. The accused entered the kitchen, gagged the girl with her own scarf, and raped her.
Following the assault, he threatened the victim, warning that her sisters would face the same fate if she disclosed the crime. Fearing social stigma and intimidation, the victim initially remained silent.
However, overwhelmed by trauma, she later wrote a detailed handwritten account of the incident before consuming poison on 20 December in an apparent attempt to end her life.
The girl’s condition deteriorated, and she was rushed to the Dhamara Community Health Centre for emergency treatment. As her health worsened, she was referred to Bhadrak District Headquarters Hospital and later shifted to a private nursing home in Cuttack, where she remains in a serious condition.
The victim’s widowed mother subsequently approached Dhamara police with the handwritten letter and lodged a formal complaint, prompting immediate police action.
Police arrested the accused, identified as Gyanaranjan Pati, 26, of Narsinghpur village under Dhamara panchayat, on charges of raping the minor.
Confirming the arrest, Dhamara Inspector-in-Charge Sovan Kumar Sain said it was made based on the evidence provided by the family. “A case has been registered, and further investigation is underway,” he added.