A 19-year-old female college student was gang-raped near Puri's Baliharchandi temple in Odisha. Three men have been arrested, while a manhunt is on for others involved. The attack occurred after the victim and her male companion refused to pay local youths who had recorded their photos and videos.

Bhubaneswar: A 19-year-old female college student has been allegedly gang-raped near a beach in Odisha's Puri district, police said on Monday.

Three persons have been arrested in connection with the rape and a manhunt has been launched to nab others allegedly involved in the incident.

About The Incident

The incident took place near Baliharchandi temple in Brahmagiri police station area around noon when the woman and her male companion had gone to a place near the temple to spend some time.

However, a group of local youths clicked their pictures and captured their videos and asked for money from them.

"When they refused to pay money, two persons in the group raped the female student," Puri Superintendent of Police Prateek Singh told PTI, quoting the survivor's FIR lodged at Brahmagiri police station.

Other members of the group had tied the hands of the male companion of the survivor before the gang-rape, police said.

Though the incident took place on Saturday, the victim filed the FIR on Monday evening after coming out of the trauma of the alleged sexual assault, they said.

The woman has undergone a medical examination, the SP said.

The incident is similar to another rape that happened on Gopalpur beach in Ganjam district on June 15. Ten persons were arrested in connection with that gang-rape.

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