College student gang-raped in Odisha’s Ganjam beach,10 detained

Bhubaneswar:  In a shocking incident, the Odisha Police have detained 10 people for allegedly gang-raping a college student after tying up her boyfriend at Gopalpur sea beach in Ganjam district.

The incident happened on late June 15 evening, said a police official on Tuesday.

The police sources claimed that all 10 accused persons, including two prime accused, have so far been detained in this regard.

The incident came to the fore on Monday after an FIR was lodged at the Gopalpur Police Station on the basis of the victim’s statement.

As per reports, the victim, who is an undergraduate studying at a local college, had gone to the beach along with her boyfriend on Sunday evening. Meanwhile, 10 youths belonging to the Hinjilcut area of the Ganjam district reached there at around 8 p.m. Finding the couple alone on the beach at an isolated spot, they started misbehaving with them.

They also allegedly blackmailed the victim and her boyfriend after capturing some intimate photos of the couple. Later, some of the accused caught the boyfriend and tied him up while three of the accused persons forcefully took the victim to a nearby spot and sexually abused her.

After the incident, the victim, along with her boyfriend, immediately informed the police, who swung into action and apprehended the two accused.

The police nabbed five others on Monday, carrying out raids at different places in the Hinjlicut area of the district.

As per police sources, three absconding accused persons, while trying to flee to a neighbouring state, were nabbed by police during the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday.

The police have reportedly recorded the statement of the victim and conducted her medical examination.

The police are likely to arrest the accused persons and forward them to court later in the day.

The locals raised questions over the security arrangements at the Gopalpur beach, which is always frequented by tourists from Odisha and other states.

–IANS