Woman, returning home from work, kidnapped by auto driver, gang-raped, stabbed in Odisha

Jajpur: A woman was allegedly kidnapped by the driver of an auto-rickshaw, which she hailed while returning home from work, gang-raped and then stabbed multiple times, police said.

The incident happened in Odisha's Jajpur town on the night of April 22, but it came to light on Sunday after the woman, who is in her late 20s, lodged a police complaint after her condition improved.

She hailed an auto-rickshaw while returning from work, but instead of taking her home, the driver took her to a secluded spot on the outskirts of the town, police said.

When she got into the vehicle, there were two men in it apart from the driver, and at the secluded spot, three more drunk men were waiting for them, as per the police complaint.

The accused tied the woman's hand with her dupatta and raped her. They stabbed her with a knife and fled, leaving her there to die, it alleged.

She somehow managed to take the help of a passerby who informed her family. She was admitted to the Jajpur district headquarters hospital in a critical condition with severe injuries on her back, hands and palm, among others.

Police said they have registered a case and started an investigation.

"We are on the job to nab all culprits involved in the crime," said Sarat Chandra Patra, the inspector-in-charge of the Jajpur Town police station.