Chandbali: A tribal woman, working as a farmhand, was gang-raped by three men at Nuagaon village under this block in Bhadrak district, police said. The matter came to light following the arrest of the trio, Sunday. They were later produced in a magistrate court which remanded them to judicial custody at Bhadrak jail. The accused were identified as Jagannath Das, 36, Pradip Das, 28, and Padmalochan Das, 22 – all of Nuagaon area in Bhuinbruti panchayat under Chandbali block in the district. Medical examinations on the survivor and the accused men have been carried out, they added.
Police arrested the accused persons after their alleged plans to shift the blame of the crime on unknown miscreants were frustrated during a probe. According to police, the survivor, who hails from Bhadrak, had gone to Chandbali to tend to farm works at Nuagaon village, June 25.
On previous occasions too she worked in fields in the village. The incident occurred when she was on her way back to Chandbali from the village. An officer investigating the case said the three accused waylaid her, before taking turns to rape her. Later, they allegedly tried to mislead the police by informing over phone that they found a woman having been raped by unidentified persons. However, the police got suspicious about their claims and after sustained questioning, they broke down and confessed to the crime. They were subsequently put under arrest, the officer added.