BERHAMPUR: Police on Monday arrested two 19-year-old students of a private educational institution for allegedly exploiting and blackmailing their female classmate in Gurandi area of Gajapati district.
The accused are Chinmaya Kumar Pradhan of Kasinagar in Gajapati and Ayush Kumar Singh of Rayagada district. A native of West Bengal, the victim stay’s with her uncle’s family in Gajapati and is enrolled in the private college.
The girl filed a complaint in Gurandi police station on Sunday alleging that she was being exploited by three of her classmates since the last six months. Based on the complaint, police registered a case and started investigation.
Police said the prime accused, who is absconding, developed a relationship with the girl. In October 2025, he along with two of his friends allegedly lured the girl to a nearby shop on some pretext. The three accused reportedly gave her a drink laced with sedatives.
After the girl became dizzy, they took her to a secluded spot where the prime accused reportedly raped her. The other two accused filmed the act in their mobile phones. The accused then used the videos and photos to blackmail the girl. When the exploitation reached an unbearable tipping point, the victim approached police, said Gurandi IIC Basant Sethi.
The IIC further said the institution authorities, owner of the shop where the girl was sedated and the people present near the crime scene would be questioned. Two mobile phones have been seized from the arrested students. The duo was produced in court. Efforts are on to trace and nab the prime accused who is on the run. Further investigation is underway, Sethi added.