Baripada, Oct 25: Police in Odisha's Mayurbhanj district have arrested three individuals in connection with the alleged gang-rape of two tribal girls, aged 13 and 14, who were returning home from a village theatre show (jatra) on Wednesday night.
Authorities confirmed that efforts are underway to apprehend two more suspects.
The incident occurred near a field when the girls were traveling back from Madhuria village on a two-wheeler with two male friends.
According to the police, five young men chased and intercepted the motorcycle. The assailants allegedly assaulted the boys, who managed to escape, before forcibly taking the girls away.
The attackers, one identified as Raju, allegedly took the girls to the Tikpada canal where the five individuals then gang-raped them.
The incident, which took place on Wednesday night, came to light after the parents of the victims lodged a complaint at the Rasgovindpur police station on Friday, October 24.
Acting swiftly upon the complaint, which was officially filed on Saturday, police registered a case and initiated a search operation. They subsequently arrested three persons named in the First Information Report (FIR).
