Bhubaneswar, June 10: A young woman has alleged that she was gang-raped by a beauty parlour owner and an employee in the Jagamara area under Khandagiri police limits, triggering widespread concern in the state capital.
According to police, the woman had come to Bhubaneswar in search of employment and was introduced to the beauty parlour owner through a middleman. After being offered a job and agreeing on salary terms, she had been working at the parlour for the past four days.
The woman alleged that on Tuesday night, the parlour owner and an employee sexually assaulted her inside the establishment. She later managed to escape and lodged a complaint at Khandagiri police station.
Acting on the complaint, police registered a case and conducted a raid on the parlour. A scientific team collected forensic evidence from the premises, while CCTV footage was seized for examination. The parlour has also been sealed as part of the investigation.
Police recorded the victims statement and conducted medical examinations of both the complainant and the accused. The two accused were produced before a court and subsequently remanded to judicial custody after their bail pleas were rejected.
Investigators are now searching for the middleman who allegedly facilitated the woman's employment at the parlour. Police are also probing whether any illegal or immoral activities had been taking place at the establishment before the incident.
The case comes days after another alleged sexual assault involving a job-seeking woman in the Pipili area, raising fresh concerns over the safety of women in and around the capital city.
