Police in Odisha’s Mayurbhanj district act in two separate cases involving sexual violence and a child. In the first case from Tarakoti village under Betnoti police station limits, a married woman is reported to have been raped and killed. Around 10 p.m. on Saturday, her husband, Dubraj Singh, files a written complaint after her death. The complaint says she travelled to Baripada with an acquaintance, Jitendra Mohanta, to shop for items, and an argument between them allegedly led to her assault. She is declared dead on arrival at a hospital. Police register the case under provisions including Section 103(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and sections of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. Authorities raid the lodge where the two stayed, seal the room, and review CCTV footage, which they say shows the woman entering normally and Mohanta carrying her out in an unconscious or lifeless state. The main accused, Jitendra Mohanta, is arrested; forensic examination is underway, and the post-mortem report is awaited.

Separately, at Chandua police station, a 12-year-old girl is allegedly sexually assaulted by a 19-year-old youth, Deepak Kumar Tudu, after attending a marriage party. Police register a case under the POCSO Act following a complaint by the girl’s father, arrest the accused, and initiate steps for judicial custody.