Andhra Girl Flees Home To Escape Stepfather's Sexual Assault, Gang-Raped In Odisha
Berhampur police arrested two persons and took a boy into custody in connection with the incident.
Published : March 31, 2026 at 10:24 PM IST
Berhampur: A 17-year-old girl, who fled home following alleged sexual abuse by her stepfather in Andhra Pradesh, was reportedly drugged and gang-raped in Odisha, police said. Berhampur Police have arrested two youths and detained a 15-year-old boy, who has been sent to the district Juvenile Justice Board.
The incident took place on March 29. The girl had arrived in Gosainnuagaon police station area of Berhampur city from Andhra Pradesh's Kadapa district by Prashanti Express on March 24. She started working at a tea stall on platform number 4 of the railway station and was staying with a couple there.
During that time, the minor girl befriended a 15-year-old boy. On the evening of the March 29, the boy invited the girl to his house. At around 10 pm, two friends came to the boy's house, persuaded the girl to go for a walk and took her to a deserted place in the nearby Chandan Nagar area.
Preliminary probe revealed that the girl was offered drinks spiked with sedatives and then allegedly raped. Later, she was found by local people, who informed the police.
Police rescued the girl and admitted her to the hospital for treatment. Based on her statement, a case was registered under the POCSO Act at Gosain Nuagaon police station and a team was formed to investigate the incident
"The accused, identified as Arjun Nayak (22) and Aditya Nayak (19) of Deep Sahir in Lanjipalli have been arrested while the minor boy was produced before the Juvenile Justice Board," said Berhampur Arakshi Superintendent Shravan Vivek M.
Meanwhile, the investigation has been handed over to DSP Smriti Prabha Pradhan, and the medical examination of the victim and the accused has been conducted.
The victim told Berhampur Police that after her father's death, her mother remarried and her stepfather sexually assaulted her so she came to Berhampur.
The incident came soon after Bhubaneswar Police arrested two ambulance drivers on the charge of raping a 21-year-old woman from neighbouring West Bengal.
Opposition BJD, meanwhile, came down heavily on the state's BJP government and expressed concern over the rising incidents of rape in the state.
Addressing a press conference in Bhubaneswar, BJD general secretary Sumitra Jena alleged that women in Odisha have become extremely unsafe after the BJP assumed power in the state.
Quoting a recent reply of Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi in the assembly, the BJD leader said that 48,798 cases of crimes against women were registered in the state in just 18 months (from July 1, 2024 to December 31, 2025).
Of these, 4,292 rape cases were registered. At present, Odisha under the BJP ranks first in the country in cases of crimes against women, while Maharashtra stands second, Jena added.
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