The Commissionerate Police in Bhubaneswar apprehended a 36-year-old man for allegedly sexually assaulting and blackmailing a 23-year-old woman under false pretenses of aiding her in a police inquiry related to a job fraud case. The accused, identified as Himansu Samal, also known as Jitu, hails from the Badachana Police Station area in Jajpur district. The victim’s mother, employed as a cook in Bharatpur, was deceived by a fraudster who took Rs 30,000, promising a job for her daughter but never delivering.
The fraudster, who had duped multiple individuals, transferred around Rs 2 lakhs from the illicit gains into the victim’s bank account. Fearing repercussions from the police due to the fraudulent transfer, the victim and her mother sought assistance from the accused, Jitu, who assured them of managing any potential police inquiry. Jitu, posing as a police official from Dhauli Police Station, misled the victim into meeting him at a hotel in Puri district instead of the police station.
Despite promising to help with the alleged police complaint, Jitu coerced the victim into staying overnight at the hotel, where he sexually assaulted her and filmed compromising images and videos. The victim, upon returning to her hostel, disclosed the ordeal to her mother, leading to a formal complaint being lodged at Dhauli Police Station. The police promptly arrested the accused, who had been evading capture, from his hideout on Monday morning.
