BARGARH: Police on Friday arrested three of a family, including a father-son duo, on charges of raping a mentally-challenged woman in Remunda panchayat.
The arrested persons are Bikram Saraf (50), his son Papun Saraf (28), both residents of a village in Remunda panchayat under Bheden police limits, and his son-in-law Pratap Saraf (44) from Ambabana in the Lakhanpur area. According to reports, the prime accused, Bikram, is the maternal uncle of the 30-year-old survivor.
Police sources said the woman had been staying at her maternal uncle’s house for the past 12 years. On December 10 last year, Bikram reportedly informed her family by phone that her health was deteriorating and asked them to take her back. When her family brought her home for treatment, a medical examination revealed she was around four to five months pregnant.
The family later returned to Bikram’s house and confronted the accused in the presence of villagers. During this time, the survivor reportedly disclosed that she had been sexually assaulted multiple times by the three accused on different occasions and had also faced physical assault and mental harassment.
Bargarh SDPO P Tripathy said, “Following a complaint lodged by the survivor’s family on December 10, police launched an investigation. After conducting medical examinations and verifying the results, the three accused were arrested on Friday evening and forwarded to court on Saturday. Further investigation is underway.” The survivor has since been sent back to her parents in Jharsuguda.