Konark: Police Friday detained two suspects in connection with alleged gangrape of a 25-year-old girl from West Bengal for 10 days after holding her in confinement near Konark Market Complex.
Confirming the detention of the two suspects, additional SP Gagarin Mohanty said they are being interrogated in the custody to get a deep insight into the case.
The detention came a day after the survivor was rescued from a locked room near Konark Market Complex. The victim alleged that she was repeatedly gang-raped by 12 persons for 10 days after being kept in confinement in the house.
According to sources, the matter came to light on Wednesday after some locals heard the screams of the girl and contacted the police. Later, fire service personnel rescued the girl by breaking open the door. She was initially admitted to Gop community healthcare centre and later shifted to the Puri district headquarters hospital.
According to police, the woman had come from West Bengal’s Howrah area lured by a job offer. After that she got involved in flesh trade and was into that for a year.
Police said the woman was raped in a closed room for around 10 days in the newly construction market complex at Konark. Narrating her ordeal, the survivor said that she was forced by two youths to engage in sex with customers despite her ill health.
On Wednesday, when she refused to have sex with a customer the two pimps snatched her mobile phone and tortured her.
The woman planned to expose the pimps and tried to jump from the roof of the building in their absence. However, the passport size photocopies and copies of the Aadhaar cards of the pimps fell on the ground. Soon after, the locals informed the Konark police and Champahar fire services personnel over the issue.
Police reached the spot and rescued her in a critical condition, and seized documents from the room.
Champahar fire services personnel also reached the spot and sent the woman to the Gop community health centre. She was shifted to the district headquarters hospital in Puri when her condition deteriorated.
Locals said the incident happened due to illegal construction of a lodge in Konark, and that the police have not raided them.
Perturbed over the incident, locals demanded intervention of the director general of police and the Puri superintendent of police to stop flesh trade in Konark.
Konark police station in-charge Sanjib Kumar Pradhan said the police would take strong action against criminals.
PNN