Four men, including a truck driver, were arrested for the alleged gang-rape of a 14-year-old girl in Odisha’s Malkangiri district, police confirmed on Tuesday. Initially believed to be a single assault by the truck driver, further investigation revealed three others were involved, said Superintendent of Police Vinodh Patil H.

The incident occurred on July 20, when the girl, a resident of Malkangiri Sadar, attended a friend’s birthday celebration and did not return home. Her family filed a missing person’s report at Adarsh police station. On Monday night, locals spotted her in a “suspicious condition” with truck driver Shubham Singh, 26, from Madhya Pradesh, near Bija Ghat on NH 326. Police rescued her and placed her in Shakti Sadan shelter home.

Subsequent probes, based on the victim’s statement and her mother’s FIR, revealed she was first gang-raped by Manoj Harijan (30), Rohit Kumar Hial (24), and Bira Bhartia (26), all from Malkangiri, in a forested area 10-15 km from town. Singh then allegedly assaulted her near Bija Ghat. The accused were arrested within six hours, and the cement-laden truck en route to Jeypore was seized.

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Cases were filed under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita Sections 137(2) (kidnapping), 64 (rape), 65(1) (rape of a minor under 16), and Section 4 (penetrative sexual assault) of the POCSO Act, 2012 (amended 2019). The girl underwent medical examination, confirming assault, and is receiving counseling.

The case, one of five reported rapes in Odisha since mid-June, has fueled public outrage. BJD and Congress leaders, including BJD’s Manas Mangaraj, visited the police station, demanding a thorough probe and stringent punishment. SP Patil assured a fast-track trial, with evidence like medical reports and witness statements being compiled.

Odisha’s rising sexual violence cases—31,677 rapes reported nationwide in 2021, per NCRB, with 10% involving minors—have drawn criticism. Congress MLA Sofia Firdous slammed the state’s BJP government for failing to curb crimes against women, citing a similar gang-rape in Jajpur on July 21.

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