Odisha: Man held for sexual assault after luring woman with job offer

A man, Himansu Samal, was arrested in Bhubaneswar for allegedly sexually assaulting a 23-year-old woman he had lured with a job offer. He took her to a hotel, assaulted her, and later blackmailed her with photos and videos, police said.

A man was arrested in Odisha's Bhubaneswar after allegedly sexually assaulting a woman he had lured under the pretext of helping her secure a job, police said on Tuesday. Officials said the accused also allegedly blackmailed and threatened the victim after the incident.

The Complaint and Arrest

According to the police, the victim reported the incident of sexual assault at Dhauli Police Station on June 7. The accused has been identified as Jitu alias Himansu Samal (36), a resident of Kula Haripur village under Badachana police station in Jajpur district, who was arrested following a prompt investigation.

Police said the complainant, a 23-year-old woman, reported that she had come in contact with the accused while searching for employment in Bhubaneswar. He allegedly promised to help her get a job and later took her to a hotel on the Pipili police station side along the NH route, where the incident took place.

The FIR states that the accused forced the victim to stay in a hotel and later committed sexual assault against her will. It further alleges that he took photographs and videos of the victim portraying them as a couple, and threatened her with adverse consequences if she disclosed the incident.

After the complaint was filed at Dhauli Police Station, police said a special team was immediately formed, and the accused was arrested. A mobile phone and other biological exhibits were seized from his possession.

DCP Details the Investigation

DCP Bhubaneswar Jagmohan Meena said the case was registered immediately due to the victim's condition and the urgency of the situation. Speaking on the police response, he said, "Yesterday, a victim and her mother reported that the victim had been sexually assaulted. Preliminary verification revealed that the incident took place at a hotel within the jurisdiction of the Pipili Police Station in Puri district. However, observing the victim's distressed emotional state and considering that reporting the matter again at Pipili would cause further trauma, consume hours, and potentially allow the accused to flee, we decided, on humanitarian grounds, to register the case immediately at our own station."

He further said police acted swiftly to apprehend the accused. "The IIC took immediate steps to apprehend the accused. He camped overnight at the suspect's last known location and arrested him this morning. The accused is named Himanshu Samal," Meena said.

Police said that prior to the incident, the victim's mother had allegedly paid Rs 30,000 to a person in connection with arranging a job. Subsequently, without any job being provided, amounts totalling approximately Rs 1-2 lakh were credited to the complainant's bank account, causing concern to her. Upon being informed, the complainant's mother contacted Jitu Samal, who allegedly assured them that he would handle the matter if any police enquiry arose.

Meena said the accused initially trapped the victim in a job fraud and later misused her fear to exploit her further. "Fraudsters of this type often use various people's bank accounts to facilitate their scams. He called the victim from a different number, posing as a police officer from Dhauli station... and falsely assured her that he would help resolve the matter," Meena said.

The DCP further stated that the accused took the victim to a hotel under false pretences and allegedly committed the assault after creating psychological pressure. He also said the victim was later blackmailed before being dropped near her residence the next morning.

"The accused decided to exploit the situation to sexually assault the victim...the sequence of events involved a job scam, a fraudulent call posing as the police, and finally abduction...other potential victims who wish to file a complaint can contact us," he said

"We are currently verifying the accused's criminal history," the DCP added.

Police said the investigation is ongoing and further legal action is being taken under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). (ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)