Girl raped in Cuttack hotel, manager arrested

BHUBANESWAR: A girl was allegedly raped in a hotel by its manager at Madhupatna locality in the city on Thursday night. The accused Saubhagya Satapathy was arrested based on an FIR filed by the victim at Madhupatna police station. Sources said the victim, from outside Odisha and a student of a reputed university, along with her seven colleagues, was in the hotel to celebrate the birthday of a friend.

The students had booked four rooms in the hotel for staying the night. The birthday party went on till late at night following which the victim and others went to bed in their rooms. However, on Friday morning, the victim was astonished to find herself lying naked. When she asked her roommate, the latter expressed ignorance. Later when she got to know she was raped in her sleep, the victim lodged the FIR.

After questioning the staff, the police verified the CCTV footage of the hotel. It came to the fore that after the birthday celebration, the victim and her friends had left for their respective rooms in an inebriated condition. While others had shut their rooms, the victim and her roommate forgot to do so. Taking advantage of it, Saubhagya entered the room and raped the victim. Saubhagya confessed to the crime and was forwarded to court after a necessary medical examination, said a senior police officer.