BARIPADA: Mayurbhanj police on Thursday arrested three persons, including a minor, for allegedly raping a 10-year-old tribal girl multiple times in a village under Khunta police limits.
One of the accused was the survivor’s brother-in-law, while the other two were her neighbours. The accused were identified as Mangal Murmu (19), Amir Besra (19) and the 13 year-old boy, all belonging to Gopabandhunagar.
According to the complaint filed by the survivor’s mother, Murmu, the survivor’s brother-in-law who stayed in the same village, used to call the girl to his house when his wife and other family members were away and assault her sexually.
Similarly, Amir and the minor, who were her neighbours, used to lure the survivor to their house with chocolates and other gifts and used to rape her.
The incident came to light on August 2, when the victim, who had been unwell, was discharged from Pandit Raghunath Murmu Medical College and was returning home. Notably, her mother had brought her to the hospital on July 31 for treatment. The survivor’s condition had been improving during her stay, and she was discharged on August 2.
While on their way home, the survivor revealed to her mother that her illness, including weakness and fever, might have been caused by repeated sexual assault by her brother-in-law and two other individuals. When her mother asked her why the survivor had not informed her about this earlier, she said that the three accused had threatened her.
Following the disclosure, the survivor’s mother informed the village headman about the incident. In response, the headman summoned the three to attend a meeting with the victim’s mother.
However, the accused failed to appear, following which the survivor’s mother filed three separate complaints at the Khunta police station on August 3. Subsequently, three cases were registered.
Khunta IIC Panchanan Mohanty said that the accused were arrested following investigation and medical reports. “Further investigation is on,” he added.