ROURKELA : Rourkela police has arrested three persons for the gangrape of two minor girls and is now ascertaining if there were more present at the crime scene on Saturday evening when the incident took place near Birsa Munda multipurpose stadium along Rourkela ring road.
Investigation is underway to ascertain if others are involved as it was alleged that four more persons were present at the spot waiting for their turn to sexually assault the girls. On Monday, police took the three accused to the spot to reconstruct the crime.
Social activist Rita Sahu who gave shelter to the two victims said audacity of the criminals can be gauged from the fact that they committed the ghastly crime a few metres from the busy ring road taking advantage of darkness. “Two persons who saw them kept quiet out of fear,” she said.
Zone III DSP Nirmal Mohapatra said the 15-year-old victim had come to visit her elder sister near Sector 19 along with her 14-year-old friend from Jharkhand. So far, involvement of three persons has been ascertained and further investigation is on, he added.
The elder sister of the first victim, in her complaint stated the girls were returning home after buying sandals when two miscreants waylaid them at Bisra Chowk stating they would help them reach their destination in an autorickshaw as the place was unsafe.
The complainant said when the victims told them that she was on her way to pick them up, the miscreants forcibly took them to a nearby plantation site. They called some others and two of them caught hold of her sister’s friend and attempted to rape her. It was when the complainant’s sister screamed in panic, they gagged and gangraped her.
The girls managed to escape when the accused took a break to have food and drinks. The complainant said after rescuing the victims, she took them to the residence of Sahu at around 10.30 pm.
Sahu said the victims were traumatised and one of them complained of pain and bleeding in her abdomen. After she sheltered the victims in her house, one of the culprits called and threatened the girls asking them to keep quiet. On Sunday morning, when Sahu and the victims were lodging the complaint in the presence of police personnel, the culprits sent them several vulgar messages over the phone.
After medical examinations on Sunday and Monday, the victims were accommodated at the one stop point-Sakhi of Rourkela Government Hospital (RGH). They would also be produced before the child welfare committee.
Chargesheet to be filed in 15 days, assures SP
DIG Brijesh Kumar Rai, who officiates as Rourkela SP, said chargesheet in the case will be filed within 15 days for speedy trial and justice for the victims. Police presence in the locality would be made more visible and effective with regular patrolling by PCR vans. Police would be sensitised to keep a watch and ensure safety of vulnerable persons, he said, adding installation of CCTV cameras at strategic points of the locality would be ensured.
