BERHAMPUR: A minor girl was allegedly gang-raped for 10 days by some youths as her father refused to vote for a particular candidate, in Ganjam district.
The incident took place in Dhanabada village under Jarada police limits. The victim, with her parents, met Berhampur SP Ashish Singh on Tuesday and informed him about the incident. She alleged that five youths of her village kidnapped her from her house while she was asleep on March 9.
They blindfolded her and took her inside the forest where she was gang-raped. The girl was kept captive in the forest and raped for 10 days before she managed to escape on March 18.
The girl told the SP that the accused had abducted and raped her due to political rivalry during the recent panchayat election, as her father had supported a particular candidate and refused to vote in favour of another candidate. The accused, who she said were local leaders, had also threatened her not to disclose the matter to anyone.
After returning from the forest, she narrated the incident to her parents and decided to file a complaint before the SP. She told the SP that she did not go to the local police station out of fear and approached Singh to lodge the complaint. “We have asked the Sub-divisional police officer of Chikiti to investigate into the complaint,” Singh said, adding that the accused have been identified and would be caught soon.
The girl has been sent for medical examination and investigation into the matter is on.