Caught After Years: The Arrest of a Man Accused of Sexual Assault in Bhubaneswar

Arrest of a Suspect in a 2019 Sexual Assault Case

Bhubaneswar: A 36-year-old individual, who had been evading law enforcement since 2019 after allegedly sexually assaulting a female colleague at a hotel in the Patia region, has been apprehended by the Mahila police, as confirmed by an official on Saturday.

The suspect, identified as Debabrata Mishra, was captured in the Niali area of Cuttack district, according to Bhagyashree Swain, the inspector in charge of the Mahila police.

Details surrounding the incident reveal that Mishra, originally from Kendrapara district, developed a relationship with the victim while they were both employed at a private company in Bhubaneswar in 2018.

On October 10, 2018, during a trip to Puri, Mishra proposed marriage to the woman, who subsequently rejected his advances and began to distance herself from him.

Despite this, they resumed communication after Mishra apologized for his previous behavior, as noted by the IIC.

However, on March 19, 2019, Mishra invited the woman to a hotel in Patia, where he allegedly assaulted her before fleeing the scene.

Following the incident, the victim reported the crime to the police, leading to the registration of a case under various sections of the IPC, including 376 (2), 294, 354 (a), and 506, prompting a manhunt for Mishra.

The Mahila police IIC stated that based on intelligence reports indicating Mishra's presence in Niali, they conducted a raid and successfully apprehended him. He has since been presented before a local court, which has placed him in remand.