Woman gang-raped, friend thrashed after six men intercept car in Odisha’s Cuttack

A woman, in her 30s, was allegedly gang-raped by a group of six men after their car was targeted in Cuttack, Odisha, according to police. The incident occurred on the Cuttack-Chandbali road route, which connects Bhubaneswar and Kendrapada. The victim and her male friend were en route to Kendrapada when the group intercepted their vehicle late on Tuesday night. The accused stopped the car, forced the duo out, brutally assaulted the male friend before gang-raping the woman. The group then fled the scene.

The victim reported the incident to the police the following morning, leading to the filing of a case. Odisha's Superintendent of Police (Rural), Vinit Agrawal, confirmed that all necessary steps were taken for the investigation. A DSP has been assigned to lead the case, and multiple teams are being deployed to locate and arrest the accused. The vehicle and the crime scene have been secured for forensic examination.

The victim's condition is stable, and she is receiving medical care and counseling. According to a 2025 report by Odisha's home department, 2,994 rape cases were reported that year. By the end of the previous year, charge sheets had been filed in 1,930 cases. In 2024, a total of 3,054 rape cases were reported. The Chief Minister of Odisha, Mohan Charan Majhi, highlighted in a report to the state Assembly that 53,000 crime against women cases were reported between June 2024 and March 2026. This number includes 4,713 rape cases and 212 cases of attempted rape.