On Sunday, a 20-year-old college student was allegedly gang-raped by about 10 men while she was at Gopalpur sea beach in Odisha’s Ganjam district, police said on Monday

The young woman, an undergraduate at a private college in Ganjam, had gone to the beach with her male friend to celebrate the Raja festival. While they were walking along the shore, a group of 10 men allegedly approached them, overpowered her friend, and tied him up.

According to the police, the men then took turns sexually assaulting the woman. “The accused then tied up her friend and sexually assaulted her one by one,” said Berhampur superintendent of police (SP) Vivek Saravana, quoting the FIR lodged by the survivor.

Police have detained eight suspects so far, and efforts are on to catch the remaining accused. “A special team has been formed to expedite the arrests, and all culprits will be brought to justice soon. The survivor has been sent to MKCG Medical College and Hospital in Berhampur for a medical examination, and the detained suspects will also undergo medical tests as part of the investigation,” SP Saravana added.

Police noted that the alleged attackers were not from the local area and had come to the beach during the Raja festival.

A white paper released by Odisha’s state home department in March this year revealed that rape cases in the state rose by 8% in 2024 compared to 2023.