BARIPADA: Town police on Sunday arrested a 21-year-old man and his friend on charges of raping a 16-year-old girl two days back.
The accused are Pritam Kumar Senapati of Purnachandrapur and his friend Bikram Das (21) of Bada Bazaar area here. Baripada sub-divisional police officer (SDPO) Pravat Mallick said Pritam had known the survivor for the last few years. On the day of Saraswati Puja, on Friday, he offered to take the girl to Haladia dam in Kuliana.
“While the duo was on their way to the dam on Pritam’s bike, they met Bikram on the way who offered to take them to the spot in his car. However, while they were going back, Bikram took the car to an isolated place where Pritam gave a dress to the girl and asked her to change. When the minor returned after changing her clothes, the duo raped her. They then dropped her off at the weekly market at Station Bazaar and fled,” Mallick said.
Police said the survivor asked a passerby for his phone, contacted her parents and asked them to take her back. On reaching home, she narrated the entire incident to her mother following which her parents lodged a complaint.
Police registered a case and and arrested both the accused.