A 17-year-old girl who had fled her home in Andhra Pradesh’s Kadapa district to escape repeated sexual abuse by her stepfather was allegedly drugged and gang-raped by two men in Berhampur city in Odisha on March 29. Police rescued the girl after receiving information from local residents. Two adults, aged 23 and 19, have been arrested, while a 15-year-old boy who allegedly assisted the accused has been sent to a juvenile home.
Cases have been registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act and other relevant sections. Odisha Police have also registered a separate case against the girl’s stepfather in Andhra Pradesh for the sexual abuse that had driven her to flee.
How the Girl Ended Up in Berhampur
According to police, the girl had boarded the Prashanti Express from Andhra Pradesh and arrived at Berhampur railway station on March 24. She spent some time at the platform before finding work at a nearby tea stall. There she befriended a local boy, who took her to meet his friends on March 29.
Preliminary investigation revealed that the girl was offered a drink laced with sedatives, after which she lost consciousness. The two adult accused allegedly raped her while she was unconscious, with the minor boy allegedly assisting them. She was later found by local people who informed the police.
Berhampur Superintendent of Police Saravana Vivek M confirmed the arrests and said the survivor had been produced before the District Child Welfare Committee. Her medical examination was conducted and she has been lodged in a child care home as directed by the CWC.
The girl told police that her father had died and her mother had remarried. Her stepfather had been sexually abusing her, forcing her to leave home and travel to a city where she knew no one.
Opposition BJD Alleges Rising Crimes Against Women Under BJP
The incident has reignited a political row over law and order in Odisha, coming just a day after two ambulance drivers in Bhubaneswar were arrested for allegedly raping a 21-year-old woman from West Bengal.
BJD general secretary Sumitra Jena addressed a press conference in Bhubaneswar and alleged that women in Odisha had become extremely unsafe since the BJP assumed power in the state. Quoting a recent reply by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi in the state assembly, she said 48,798 cases of crimes against women were registered in Odisha in just 18 months between July 1, 2024 and December 31, 2025, of which 4,292 were rape cases. She claimed Odisha now ranks first in the country in crimes against women under the BJP government, with Maharashtra standing second.
