Charge Sheet Filed Against Seven In Orissa Nun Rape Case

BHUBANESWAR, Orissa, June 10, 2009, 09.50 Hrs (SAR News):

The Crime Branch (CB) of Orissa police July 5 filed charge sheet against seven culprits involved in the rape of a Catholic nun during communal riots last year.

It also moved the court seeking legal sanctions to declare two of the 19 absconders in the case, though the sleuths had managed to arrest 17 persons for their alleged involvement in the rape of the 29-year-old nun at Kandhamal August 25, 2008.

The CB sleuths had served several notices to the absconding duo, identified as Gururam Patra and Pandit Bisi Majhi, to their residential address but they did not get any response from them, nor did they succeed in nabbing them.

“We can hang notices on the doors of the accused persons if the court allows us to declare them as absconders,” investigating officer, Dilip Kumar Mohanty, was quoted as saying by media reports.

The police could also seize their property if they fail to surrender before the investigating agency, Kumar said.

The crime branch has already filed charge sheet against 17 persons in two phases. While charge sheets were filed at the sub-divisional judicial magistrate’s court at Baliguda earlier, similar documents were produced in the court against seven other accused June 5.