A 23-year-old woman in Odisha was raped twice in one day, first by her boyfriend and then by a stranger who pretended to help her, before she was pushed to her death from a four-storey building, police said.
The series of horrific events reportedly took place on February 22 in Jagatsinghpur district. Police arrested the two men and detained them on charges of kidnapping, rape and murder under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) Act, news agency PTI reported.
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How the crime unfolded
According to the police, the woman left the house to meet her boyfriend, who asked her to come to the temple and promised to marry her. Instead, he allegedly took her to a deserted area, raped her, and then left her alone at the Mercy bus stop.
Stranded and sad, the woman waited at the bus stop, hoping to get help. That’s when another man, a motorcyclist from Jharkhand heading towards Paradip, approached her. He offered to help but later took her to the roof of his rented house in Paradip town, police said.
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The report stated that he raped her there. The man then pushed her out of the building, killing her, police said. Her body was discovered the next morning.
The victim’s brother first reported her disappearance on the evening of February 22 after she failed to return to her home. When her body was found on February 23, police registered a case of unnatural death. The report noted that a detailed complaint alleging rape and murder was filed later on February 25, leading to the arrests.
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Sharp political reactions
The incident sparked strong political reactions. BJD chief and opposition leader Naveen Patnaik said the case showed how unsafe women are in the state.
In a post on X, Patnaik said there is a wide gap between official claims about women’s safety and the reality on the ground. “How many innocent lives will be lost? No one, including minors, is safe from the disabled. Is there rule of law in the state? News of crimes coming from Kanihan in Angul, Kuchinda in Sambalpur and Paradip districts are alarming,” he wrote.
He claimed that failure to take strict action against the perpetrators encourages such crimes. He urged the Odisha government to take proactive steps, spread awareness about women’s safety and ensure strict implementation of the rule of law.
