10 kids rescued from two Puri orphanages

The Baliapanda police arrested Manmohan Bhanj and forwarded him to the SDJM Court on Wednesday for sexually exploiting a minor girl child in his illegally run orphanage in the city.

The police on complaints from district child protection committee chairman Sidharth Ray on the Tuesday raided two houses in the city and rescued ten minor children, including three girl children. One of the girl children (15) in her statement narrated how Bhanj sexually exploited her. While Kumbharpara police on the Tuesday rescued two minor girls and four male children from a house at Abakash lane another illegally run orphanage by a foreign lady, Baliapanda police during a raid rescued four children including one minor girl from a flat. In response to the statement of the girl regarding sexual abuse, the police registered a case of rape and illegal running of orphanage against Bhanj and arrested him.

All the ten children were admitted into the Government orphanage. Bhanj after medical examination was sent to the court of sub divisional judicial magistrate who refused his bail plea and remanded him to jail custody. Before that a medical examination was conducted and statements of the rescued children and the victim girl were recorded. During investigation it was found that the children were taken from the lions gate area of the Jagannath temple while begging.

They belong to Jagatsinghpur and Chandanpur area. District child protection committee chairperson Ray, district child welfare officer Manoj Kumar Tripathy and Debasis Rath of Childline were present.