PURI: In a new twist to the minor girl gang-rape case, police on Monday said a couple took the minor girl to Puri where she was sexually assaulted by prime accused Jitendra Sethy, the dismissed constable and his associates.
Puri SP Umashankar Dash said investigation revealed that Ranjit Parida, his wife Soumya Sephali and Bulu Barik brought the victim on a motorcycle and scooty to Puri.
The couple was the mastermind. The trio has been arrested and police seized both the two-wheelers.
In her initial complaint on December 2, the victim had stated that she was offered a lift by Sethy in a car while waiting at Nimapara bus stand to go to her village in Kakatpur.
After Sethy showed her his police identity card, she agreed to come with him. When she entered the car, there were four persons inside who brought her to a Government quarter in Puri and raped her.
The SP said the minor girl was in post-rape trauma and could not provide a clear picture. However, her version of being gang-raped in the Government quarters was true, he said.
The owner of the Government quarters was not arrested as police did not find any evidence against her. However, the woman’s husband was arrested for his involvement in the crime, the SP said.
On the day, the three accused were produced in the SDJM court and remanded to judicial custody after their bail plea was rejected.
With this, the total number of persons arrested in the gang-rape case has reached six. Dash said the final charge-sheet would be submitted in court within 20 days. Efforts are on to ensure payment of compensation to the victim as per law.
Earlier, Sethy and two other accused were arrested and are now in judicial custody. Police would seek remand of the accused persons to elicit more information about the crime, he added.