Overview
- A 26-year-old woman filed an FIR after she says a masked man entered her rented flat in Behera Sahi on Wednesday night, threatened her with what looked like a gun and raped her at gunpoint.
- Police built photographic and CCTV leads within 12 hours and launched an intensive manhunt involving about 100 personnel that ran for roughly 48 hours to trace the suspect’s movements by bus, autorickshaw and motorbike.
- Officers intercepted the accused in the Chandaka area on Saturday, where police say he attacked personnel with a sharp object and fired at officers, prompting police to fire back and injure him; he was taken to Capital Hospital.
- Authorities have identified the accused as Santosh alias Sreedhar (Sridhar) Panda of Ganjam district, who has prior theft arrests, and officials say he will be formally arrested once medically fit.
- Forensic teams collected samples at the scene and CCTV is under review while the Odisha State Commission for Women has taken suo motu cognisance and directed the Bhubaneswar DCP to submit a report within 15 days, a step that will shape oversight of the probe and victim support.