Woman gang-raped in front of fiancé in Odisha forest, three arrested

Bhubaneswar, Oct 26: A 21-year-old woman was reportedly gang-raped by three unidentified individuals in front of her fiancé in a forest area of Nayagarh district, Odisha. The incident occurred on October 20 but came to public attention after the victim filed a complaint with the Fatehgarh police station on Friday, according to police sources.

In response to the complaint, law enforcement acted quickly, leading to the arrest of the three suspects. They have since been presented in court, as confirmed by a statement from the Police State Headquarters in Cuttack on Saturday.

The incident transpired while the couple was returning home after visiting the Fategarh Ram Temple in the evening. According to Khandapada Sub-divisional Police Officer Bimal Kumar Barik, the trio intercepted the couple near Pithakhai forest, forcibly taking them into the woods where the assault occurred, with her fiancé threatened by one of the attackers wielding a knife.

The accused allegedly recorded the assault on a mobile phone, sharing the video on social media, where it has since gone viral. Following the filing of the complaint, the police detained and interrogated three suspects, leading to their subsequent arrest. The investigation is ongoing, with the case being monitored by S. Shyni, the Inspector General of Police for the Crime Against Women & Children Wing.