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New Indian Express
2 days ago
- New Indian Express
Odisha Crime Branch seeks TI parade, remand in Gopalpur gangrape case as probe intensifies
BERHAMPUR: Continuing its investigation into the Gopalpur beach gangrape case, the Crime Against Women and Children Wing (CAW & CW) of the Odisha Crime Branch on Thursday moved the Judicial Magistrate First Class (Rural) Court in Berhampur seeking permission to conduct test identification (TI) parade of the 10 accused and police remand of the six adult suspects. Police said prime accused Pramod Nayak (23) of Hiundata village in Purushottampur, was jailed in two separate cases - attempt to murder and making bombs - a few years back. He was a BTech dropout and worked at an electronics factory in Bengaluru. He recently returned home on leave. Pramod and other accused including four juveniles were arrested late in the night on June 15 (Sunday), a few hours after allegedly gang-raping the 20-year-old, a Plus Three student, at Gopalpur beach. Medical examinations of the survivor and the accused were conducted at MKCG Medical College and Hospital, Berhampur on June 16. Blood and other samples were collected for DNA testing. On Tuesday, all the six adult accused were remanded to judicial custody while the four minors were presented before the Juvenile Justice Board (JJB). Professor Sudipta Das of MKCGMCH said the test results had not arrived till late Thursday evening. She revealed that during the medical test, the rape survivor informed doctors that the accused had used condoms. This indicates that the perpetrators not only came prepared to commit the crime but also took measures to destroy evidence. Habitual offenders resort to such methods, she added. An eight-member team of the CAW & CW led by IG S Shyni reached Berhampur on Wednesday to take charge of the probe. The team visited the crime scene and recorded statements of the survivor and her male friend, who had accompanied her to the beach. Sand samples, cigarette stubs, and other materials from the crime scene were also seized. The incident was tagged as a Red Flag case. As per norms, forensic evidence in Red Flag cases are prioritised for examination at forensic laborotaries. (SFSL) at Bhubaneswar, confirmed FMT Professor Sudipta Das of MKCGMCH.
Indian Express
3 days ago
- Indian Express
B.Tech dropout, out on bail in 2 cases – key accused in Odisha beach gangrape
The main accused in the gangrape of a college student at a popular beach in Odisha's Gopalpur has two cases pending against him and is currently out on bail in both, police officials have told The Indian Express. Pramod Nayak, 23, from Hiundata village in Ganjam, was jailed in two separate cases – attempt to murder and for making bombs – some years back, said Berhampur Superintendent of Police Saravana Vivek M. The SP said they are trying to ascertain whether he and the other accused visited the beach frequently and have committed such offences earlier. A dropout from a private engineering college in Berhampur town, Nayak works at an electronics factory in Bengaluru at a monthly salary of Rs 20,000. He recently returned home on leave. He and nine others went to take a dip in the sea on Sunday. Around 6 pm, they wandered to an isolated part of the beach, where the college student and a male friend also arrived around 6:30 pm. The accused allegedly confronted the couple, after which three of them raped the woman while the others assaulted the man and kept him tied up until around 8 pm, police said. Apart from Nayak, police say Baburam Dalai, 19, and Kunal Pradhan, 24, were involved in the rape. 'Nayak and Pradhan were trying to flee either to Bengaluru or Surat, where Laxman works in a power loom factory, after committing the crime. The police arrested them before they left their respective places,' said a senior police officer. The Gopalpur police registered the case on Monday after the woman lodged a written complaint. The Berhampur SP said the woman and her friend are stable. Police have picked up 10 people, including four minors who are aged 17. Police officials said they intend to try them as adults. The Crime Branch has taken up the investigation and is treating the case as a 'red flag', which needs increased and meticulous scrutiny. Since the crime, the serene and sandy shores of Gopalpur have worn a deserted look. Gopalpur is a popular destination for tourists visiting the southern parts of Odisha. Though the beach stretches around 8 kilometres, only a one-kilometre stretch is crowded, while the rest is empty and dark after sunset. Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi has assured exemplary punishment to the culprits even as the Congress steps up protests against the incident.
Indian Express
4 days ago
- Indian Express
4 juveniles among 10 held for gangrape at Odisha beach, police to seek their trial as adults
The Odisha Police arrested six men and detained four juveniles on Tuesday in connection with the gangrape of a college student at Gopalpur beach, near Berhampur city. According to police, the accused on Sunday travelled to Gopalpur beach on three motorcycles and went to take a dip in the sea. At around 6 pm, they got to an isolated part of the beach, where the college student and a male friend had also reached by around 6.30 pm. At around 8 pm, the accused persons allegedly confronted the couple, after which three of them raped the woman while the others assaulted the man and kept him tied up, police said. Though the four juveniles were produced before the Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) and the other six accused were produced before a court, Berhampur Superintendent of Police Saravana Vivek M said authorities would ask the JJB to treat the juveniles as adults for the purpose of trial. 'This is a heinous crime, and as per the Supreme Court, juveniles above 16 years of age can be tried as adults in the case of a heinous offence. In this case, all four juvenile accused are 17 years old. So, we will pray before the JJB to treat them as adults. We are confident that the juvenile board will consider our plea,' the SP told The Indian Express. When juveniles are tried as adults, they are subjected to the same criminal laws and procedures as adults and, if convicted, could face harsher penalties and longer sentences than they would if they were tried as juveniles. Police have termed 23-year-old Pramod Nayak, who is from a nearby town and works at a factory in Bengaluru from where he had come back home on leave, as the main accused. According to the police investigation, the accused had also demanded money from the woman's male friend whom they had allegedly held captive. Police have got evidence that the accused took money from him in cash and through a UPI transaction, the Berhampur SP said. Following a complaint by the survivor on Monday, a case was registered at Gopalpur police station under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) section 70(1) (gangrape), 296 (obscene acts and songs), 351(3) (criminal intimidation) and 310(2) (offence of dacoity). The Gopalpur police have already conducted a medical test of the survivor and recorded both her and her friend's statements. Scientific evidence from the crime scene has also been collected, police said. Meanwhile, the National Commission for Women (NCW) has taken suo motu cognisance of the matter and has asked the Odisha police chief to conduct a 'swift and time-bound investigation'. It has also sought an action taken report within three days. The incident has triggered a major political storm, with the Opposition BJD and Congress stepping up their attack on the BJP government over what they said was the deteriorating law and order situation in Odisha. Leader of Opposition and former chief minister Naveen Patnaik said the incident at one of Odisha's major tourist destinations was deeply shocking and has left everyone shaken. Expressing concern over the safety of women in tourist areas, Patnaik urged the government to be vigilant in preventing 'increasing atrocities against women every day'. The All India Congress Committee's Odisha in-charge, Ajay Kumar Lallu, said the Gopalpur beach incident has shaken the entire nation. He said the law and order situation has collapsed in the state. Odisha's Deputy Chief Minister Pravati Parida said she has spoken to the SP regarding the incident and that she has asked for a thorough investigation. She also said she called for all necessary steps to be taken to ensure that such incidents don't happen in the future.
