CUTTACK: Cuttack police on Thursday arrested five of the six accused in the alleged gang rape of a 26-year-old mall employee along Cuttack-Chandbali state highway.
The accused are from Aenda, Kudanagari and Nemalo areas. Police said a test identification parade will be conducted which is why identity of the accused has not been disclosed.
The five were later produced before the Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC), Nischintakoili. Police also seized a pickup van and a motorcycle allegedly used in the crime.
Cuttack (Rural) SP Vinit Agrawal told a media conference that said raids are being conducted to nab the sixth accused who is still at large. The victim and her male friend underwent medical examination. The woman is in stable condition and has returned to her family, police said.
“We are taking steps to ensure an expedited trial in the case. The chargesheet will be submitted within 90 days,” Agrawal said, adding that efforts would be made to secure stringent punishment for the accused.
The incident took place in the early hours of Wednesday when the woman, who works at a mall in Bhubaneswar, was returning home in Kendrapara with her male friend in a car along the Cuttack-Chandbali state highway.
As the man felt drowsy, they stopped near a petrol pump and decided to rest inside the car. Soon, the six accused smashed the vehicle’s windows, abducted the duo in their vehicle and took them to an isolated field at Aenda. They threw the man out of the vehicle and allegedly gang-raped the woman inside.
Meanwhile, BJD led by former minister Pratap Jena staged a protest outside the Nischintakoili police station, alleging deterioration in the law and order situation in the state. “Law and order has deteriorated across the state. Women and girls are not safe as crimes against them are increasing rapidly,” the party leaders warned.
Former minister Tukuni Sahu, former MP Rajashree Mallik, Sarmistha Sethi and former Cuttack Zilla Parishad chairperson Jyotirekha Nayak were among those who addressed the protest meeting.