Village volunteer booked for raping, impregnating orphaned woman in Mandasa

PALASA: A village volunteer in Mandasa of Srikakulam district was arrested on charges of exploiting a destitute Dalit woman, raping her and impregnating her. The heinous crime, which reportedly has been happening for quite some time, came to light after the victim lodged a complaint with the local police recently.

According to police, the 27-year-old woman has been leading an orphan’s life since the death of her parents a few months ago and has been surviving through begging. With no shelter of her own, she spends the nights by sleeping in a corridor of the Mandasa MPDO office.

Kunithi Balakrishna, a village volunteer from Jillunda, trapped her by exploiting her situation and allegedly raped her for well over a month. The victim complained to the Mandasa police on Tuesday after she realised that she was pregnant.

Mandasa Sub Inspector Ravi Kumar said that a case was registered on Wednesday based on the complaint of the victim. The accused will be arrested on Thursday, he added.