ROURKELA: A sanitary supervisor of Kuanrmunda community health centre (CHC) in Sundargarh was on Sunday arrested for allegedly raping a minor girl and her mother multiple times over the last more than a year.
The accused is 56-year-old Indramani Samal, a resident of Mani Colony in Rourkela. Police said the girl (15) and her mother (30) were well-acquainted with Samal. The crime took place at Kuanrmunda within Birmitrapur police limits over a period of one year.
In 2023, the victim woman was facing family disturbance during her stay at a slum in Sector-1 of Rourkela. Samal came in contact with the woman and made her believe that he had psychic abilities. He advised the woman to change her house to ward off her problems. The accused even arranged a rented accommodation for the woman’s family at Jamunadhipa in Kuanrmunda block in September 2023. He reportedly used to frequent their rented house and drop the victim girl at her residence after her tuition classes.
Birmitrapur sub-divisional police officer (SDPO) Sushant Das said while returning with the girl after her tuition class in May 2024, Samal took the minor to the back room of his hotel at Kuanrmunda. After terrorising the girl, he sexually assaulted her and video-graphed the act.
Das said on June 18, 2024, Samal forcibly raped the minor’s mother and threatened her of circulating the rape video of her daughter if she disclosed the matter to anyone. Taking advantage of the helplessness of the woman, he continued to rape her and also blackmailed her to part with her gold ornaments worth about Rs 5 lakh.
When Samal kept on demanding more, the woman finally lodged a complaint with police on Friday night. The SDPO said basing on the complaint, Biramitrapur police registered a case under sections 376 (2) (n), 376 (3), 506 of IPC, section 4 of POCSO Act and sections 3 (2) (v) and 3 (2) (va) of the SC & ST(Prevention of Atrocities) Act. Subsequently, the accused was arrested.
Medical examination of the two victims and the accused was conducted. Samal was produced in court and remanded in judicial custody.
Meanwhile, Rourkela SP Nitesh Wadhwani on Sunday said a 36-year-old man was arrested and produced in court on charges of raping a minor girl of Jharkhand near the new bus stand in Plant Site area.