Odisha man accused of serial sexual assault hacked to death by survivors; body burned in forest

BHUBANESWAR: A group of women in Odisha’s Gajapati district allegedly killed a 60-year-old man accused of repeatedly sexually assaulting them and later burned his body, police said. Ten people, including eight women and two men, have been arrested in connection with the incident, which occurred on the night of June 3 in a village under Mohana police limits. According to police, the man had allegedly raped a 52-year-old widow that night. In response, the widow and other women who claimed to be past victims held a meeting and decided to take matters into their own hands. They allegedly went to the man’s house while he was sleeping, and the widow, aided by the group, hacked him to death.

His body was later taken to a nearby forested hillock, around 2 km from the village, where it was burned. Police had launched an investigation after the man’s family reported him missing. Human remains including bones and ashes, were recovered from the site. Mohana police station in-charge Basant Sethi said the deceased had been a widower for four years and had allegedly assaulted several women during that period. “At least six of the arrested women have said they were victims of sexual assault by the man,” Sethi said.Gajapati superintendent of police Jatindra Kumar Panda said, "The women had never sought police help or lodged any complaint against the deceased."