BARIPADA: Jashipur police on Monday, arrested Mantu Behera (25) of Jashipur for allegedly raping a challenged minor girl. Behera along with his accomplice in crime had allegedly kept the girl hostage in an abandoned house and raped her for eight days.
According to reports, the girl, a Class X student, was on way to school on March 30 when she was abducted by a motorcycle-borne miscreant. The accused took her to Ghodaghagari near Similipal forest and called his accomplice to the location. The duo then took turns to rape the girl in an abandoned house by tying her limbs.
Though the girl’s parents lodged a missing report with Jashipur police on April 3 after all their attempts to trace her went in vain, they alleged police did not take their complaint seriously. On April 6, the miscreants also thrashed the victim badly before releasing her from their captivity.
She was walking on a deserted road when some locals noticed and rescued her. Being speech impaired, she could not say anything to her rescuers but narrated her ordeal to parents in sign language after reaching home. Jashipur police recorded the statement of the girl with the help of a special instructor.
Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) of Karanjia Sudarshan Gangi said a case has been registered against the accused. Investigation is underway. “We will nab the other person who partnered in the crime,” he said.