The Odisha Police on Tuesday arrested six men and detained four juveniles on Tuesday in connection with the gangrape of a 20-year-old college student at Gopalpur beach.
The horrific incident unfolded on Sunday evening when the woman was strolling on the Gopalpur sea beach in Ganjam district and was allegedly gang-raped by around 10 men who overpowered her male friend, police said on Monday.
As per media reports, the four juveniles were produced before the Juvenile Justice Board (JJB).
Speaking to The Indian Express, Superintendent of Police (Berhampur) Saravana Vivek M, said, "This is a heinous crime, and as per the Supreme Court, juveniles above 16 years of age can be tried as adults in the case of a heinous offence. In this case, all four juvenile accused are 17 years old. So, we will pray before the JJB to treat them as adults. We are confident that the juvenile board will consider our plea."
What All Did The Police Say?
A case was registered at the Gopalpur police station after the survivor, an undergraduate student of a private college, lodged an FIR on Monday. The case was registered at Gopalpur police station under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) section 70(1) (gangrape), 296 (obscene acts and songs), 351(3) (criminal intimidation) and 310(2) (offence of dacoity).
After a preliminary investigation, Superintendent of Police (Berhampur) Saravana Vivek M revealed that the survivor, an undergraduate student at a private college in Ganjam. The incident took place on Sunday night when the woman went to the beach along with her boyfriend, on the occasion of the Raja festival. Saravana later said that the accused reportedly tied up her boyfriend and sexually assaulted her one by one.
Sharing details on the case, Berhampur SP said, "On Sunday evening at around 6.30 pm, a 20-year-old woman and her male friend, who is also her classmate, visited Gopalpur. They walked on the Gopalpur beach and reached an isolated place a kilometre away from the main beach. They saw that 10 youths were 50-60 meters from their location. When they sat there, at around 8.30, these youth captured the male friend and picked up the woman. They kept a watch on the boy and physically abused the lady. Three of the accused persons raped her when the others held the male friend.
"As soon as they left them at around 10 pm, both the victims reached the police station and reported the crime... The police detained around seven suspects immediately, and after some time, the FIR was registered... The remaining accused were arrested later... Out of the ten accused, 6 are adults and 4 are juveniles... All juveniles are around 17 years old. All of them were detained today. They are being forwarded to the Juvenile Justice Board. We will make efforts so that the juveniles are treated as adults... We will try to get the maximum punishment for all", he added.
Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Majhi has strongly condemned the incident, calling it 바카라a heinous crime against humanity바카라. He assured that those responsible would face the strictest punishment under law.
바카라This is a deeply deplorable act that shocks the conscience of society. No one involved 바카라 directly or indirectly 바카라 will be spared,바카라 the CM said in a statement.
