12th grade girls drugged and raped multiple times, five teens held

BERHAMPUR: Baidanathpur police on Wednesday arrested five youths for allegedly gang-raping a Class XII student after she spiked her drink in Ganjam district on May 3.

Police identified the accused as Rutun Das (22), Rudra Jena (21), Abhilash Polai (19), Akash Nayak (26) and Sambit Panigrahi (21), all from different places in Ganjam. All five accused are students – two engineering students, as many BCA students and a pharmacy student.

Berhampur SP Sarthak Sarangi said the shocking incident took place on May 3, but the parents of the rape survivor lodged a police complaint on May 5.

According to the complaint, the girl, a Class XII student of a private college in Berhampur, had gone to a friend’s house for work in the evening. After meeting her friend, she was waiting for her father in Hillpatana when Rutun, who was known to her, arrived at the spot. He invited her to his house in Bramhanagar 2nd Lane and assured her that he would call her father to pick her up.

When the girl reached Rutun’s room, she realized that it was a mess for bachelors. However, the defendant claimed that he lived with his mother. He offered her a soft drink laced with sedatives and left the room under the pretense of calling his mother. She then lost control of her senses and five to six teenagers are said to have sexually abused her.

The SP said the accused took turns raping her until 10 pm at night. Although the girl was awake, she was unable to move due to the effects of the sedative drink. When she came to, Rutun reportedly threatened to kill her if she disclosed the matter to anyone. Later, Rutun and one of his friends took the girl on a motorcycle and dropped her in Bijipur.

When she arrived home, the girl told her parents about her ordeal. However, her parents reported the matter to the police after two days. Based on the complaint, the police registered a case and sent the girl for medical examination. As part of the investigation, a police team reached the crime scene and arrested eight youths.

“During interrogation, five of them confessed to their crime. They were then arrested and produced before the court. The victim’s condition is stable and her statement has been recorded before the magistrate. Investigations are underway to ascertain whether anyone else is involved in the crime,” Sarangi added.