The three accused were arrested by the Delhi police between October 30 and November 4. | Photo Credit: file photo

Three arrested for raping intellectually disabled research scholar from Odisha

by · The Hindu

Three men have been arrested for kidnapping and raping a 34-year-old woman from Odisha suffering from intellectual disability, the police said on Thursday. The accused — Prabhu Mahto, 28, an autorickshaw driver, Pramod Babu, 32, who worked at a scrap shop, and Mohammad Shamsul, 29, a beggar — have been booked under BNS Sections 70(1) (gang rape) and 115(2) (voluntarily causing hurt) at the Sunlight Colony police station.

The victim, who is being treated at AIIMS’ Psychiatry Department, is a native of Puri, has an MA in Social Work from Utkal University of Culture in Bhubaneswar, and has worked as a researcher, facilitator, and community leader, said a senior officer.

She has eight years of experience in the social sector and has been a research fellow at Kalinga Network for Living with HIV/AIDS, a community leader at Women Power for Sanitation Awareness, and a counsellor at the Odisha government’s One Stop Centre, which provides support to women victims of violence, the officer added.

DCP (South East) Ravi Kumar Singh said the police received a call on October 11 around 3.15 a.m. about a woman lying in Sarai Kale Khan in an injured state, following which a police team rushed her to the AIIMS Trauma Centre.

“On reaching the hospital, the victim disclosed to the attending doctor that she had been sexually assaulted by three persons. After sharing the initial statement, she couldn’t cooperate with the investigation or the hospital staff due to her trauma,” the DCP added.

Earning victim’s trust

“We took permission from the hospital and deployed a woman constable, Sangeeta, and a woman from Odisha to take care of the victim to try to build trust and gather crucial information from her,” said Mr. Singh.

The DCP said Ms. Sangeeta was able to get some important details from the victim — that an autorickshaw driver had dumped her after sexually assaulting her along with two other men, one of whom had a physical handicap.

The first breakthrough in the case came on October 30, when the police arrested Mahto. Babu and Shamsul, the one with the physical handicap, were arrested subsequently on November 2 and 4.

“During interrogation, Pramod said he noticed a woman sitting near the Old Delhi railway station on October 10. He then called over Shamsul and conspired with him to sexually assault the woman, assuming that she was mentally unsound and an easy target,” said Mr. Singh.

The two accused dragged her to a deserted area, where they were joined by Mahto, who also raped the woman and then dumped her near Sarai Kale Khan, he added.

Published - November 08, 2024 01:09 am IST