SAMBALPUR: Two days after a 21-year-old woman was forced to drink alcohol and gang-raped inside a car in Gobindpur area, Sambalpur police arrested three persons for their involvement in the shocking crime on Friday. The accused are Suraj Gandha (35), Indra Jaypuria (38) and Jibandan Lugun (32), all natives of Bamra. The incident took place on Wednesday.
Sources said the woman was walking towards Bamra after missing her bus. Accused Suraj and Indra, who were coming from Bamra, stopped their motorcycle near her. On being asked about her destination, she told the duo that she was heading to Sahajbahal.
The accused offered to drop the woman on their two-wheeler. However, Indra alighted from the bike midway. Suraj then took the woman to an abandoned house near a hill and raped her. Later, he took her to another house near a petrol pump in Gadposh area within Gobindpur police limits.
After sometime, Jibandan arrived in an MUV and the victim was forced to get into the vehicle. The accused made her drink alcohol following which she lost her senses. They then gang-raped her inside the vehicle. When the woman regained consciousness, she found herself lying naked along a road. On Thursday, she lodged an FIR in Gobindpur police station in this regard.
Basing on her complaint, police launched an investigation and detained the three accused. Medical examination of the victim and the accused trio was conducted. Sub-divisional police officer (SDPO) of Kuchinda Amitabh Panda said during interrogation, the accused confessed to have committed the crime. They were arrested under sections 376, 376 D, 366 and 120 B of IPC.