Odisha shocker! Minor girl raped with hands and legs tied in Ganjam, third incident reported in a month

A girl student studying in Class 7 was allegedly raped by a distant relative in Ganjam district of Odisha, according to a report by PTI citing police.

A 22-year-old man was arrested by the police from a village under the jurisdiction of the Golanthara police station on Tuesday over the charge of raping the minor.

The incident occurred on June 28, and the complaint was filed with the police on June 30, a police officer told PTI.

The report comes days after a college student was gang raped at Gopalpur beach on June 15 and the rape of two girls within the jurisdiction of Golanthara police station on June 6.

The police said the accused and the 11-year-old victim underwent medical tests in the recent case. The girl's statement has also been recorded, the report stated.

According to the police, the accused is a distant relative of the minor girl, who is a resident of the same village. The police arrested the accused from a village nearby.

As per the complaint lodged by the mother of the victim, the accused forcibly took the girl to the toilet of the school, tied her hands and legs before raping her, the report said citing the Superintendent of Police (SP) of Berhampur, Saravana Vivek M, who shared the details from the complaint letter.

The accused had fled the location. However, a villager located her and rescued her.

The case has been filed against the accused under several sections of the BNS and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, and a probe has been launched, the SP told PTI.

This is the third rape case in the district in one month. The district police was investigating the minor rape case from 6th June, while the Crime Branch of Odisha Police is examining the Gopalpur gang rape case, the report said.

(With inputs from PTI)