Kendrapada: A police inspector was arrested on Wednesday for allegedly sexually exploiting a woman home guard for over a year under the pretext of marrying her. The move comes after the 28-year-old victim filed a complaint against him at Jagatsinghpur police station the day before.
According to her complaint, the 34-year-old accused, currently posted at a police station in Jagatsinghpur district, maintained a physical relationship with her by promising her marriage but later started threatening her when she pressed him for marital commitment.
Jagatsinghpur SP Bhawani Sankar Udgata said that the inspector has been charged under Sections 68 and 69 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for sexual exploitation by a person in authority and obtaining sexual intercourse through deceitful means. The court rejected his bail application and remanded him to judicial custody.
Earlier in the day, before his arrest, DGP Yogesh Bahadur Khurania ordered his immediate suspension ‘in the interest of public service and to ensure fairness in inquiry’ and initiated a probe into the allegations.
The victim underwent medical examination at the district headquarters hospital and her statement was recorded by the court on Wednesday.
In 2023, while working as the inspector in-charge of Phiringia police station in Kandhamal district, the accused was suspended for dereliction of duty after allegedly fleeing during an incident of mob violence where the police station was set ablaze over allegations of police involvement in ganja peddling.
Sources said that the accused is married to a police officer.