Odisha horror: Two 5-6 year-old girls raped by 70-year-old man in Rourkela steel town

In the latest instance of child sexual abuse case in Odisha, two minor girls, aged around 5 to 6, were allegedly sexually assaulted by a 70-year-old man in Rourkela steel township, police said on Friday.

The unsavory incident occurred yesterday evening. The septuagenarian accused, who confessed to the crime, has been arrested following the complaint lodged by the parents of the victims.

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The minors were ensnared in a trap laid by the accused, who lured both by offering chocolates and biscuits to come to his house. He lived in the neighbourhood of the rape survivors’ house. The playful minors, little knowing the evil design of the man, made their way into his house. Later, they were subjected to sexual abuse by the lascivious man.

The accused and the victim girls were medically examined by the doctors at a government-run hospital in the steel township. Both the minors are now undergoing treatment in the hospital, said Manoranjan Pradha, Sub Divisional Police Officer, Rourkela.

The statement of both the victims was recorded in accordance with legal provisions. Later, the accused was remanded to judicial custody under sections- 4 and 6 of Protection of Children from Sexual Offence (POCSO) Act , 2012 and relevant sections of BNS, the official added.

It’s pertinent to note here that sexual abuse of minor girls have shot up of late. The offenders in the majority of reported cases were either known to the minors or were from the people living in the neighbourhood. It has mostly been found that in more than 90 per cent cases, the offenders were either relatives, acquaintances or belonging to the same community, said a lawyer, Umesh Chandra Singh.