After over a dozen criminal cases having been registered against former Sanakhemundi Congress MlA Ramesh Jena, now a woman has filed a complaint of rape, blackmailing and intimidation against him.
The widow from Gandhi Nagar here lodged the complaint with the Town Police on Friday, following which police have begun an investigation into it.
“A widow has alleged that Ramesh Jena and one of his associates Bidu Bisoyi have done immoral acts with her continuously and also have filmed it. They were troubling her since last two years. It is unfortunate. Definitely, law will take its own course and justice will be done,” Brahmapur SP Ashish Singh said.
Speaking to media, the woman said Jena and his associates were extorting money from her husband, who was running bus transport business. Out of fear, he was giving money to them. Following her husband’s death in 2004 due to cerebral malaria, she took over the business. However, the goons of Jena did not allow her to operate the business. She then shifted from Nabarangpur to her parents’ place here with her children and restarted her business. Again, Jena’s men put hurdles on her way, she alleged.
“In 2013, Ramesh Jena and his associate Bidu Bisoyi came to my house, and Jena raped me. When I told him that I would reveal it, he threatened to eliminate my entire family. Despite this, I approached the police which did not lend their ears to my allegations. I kept mum as I didn’t get any support,” she said.
“After three-four months of the incident, he (Jena) again came to my house with Bisoyi. When I objected to his advances, he showed me video clippings (of the previous sexual assault) and blackmailed me that he would circulate it. This January also, he came to my house and raped me. He has done this for around seven to eight times,” she alleged.
“I had told my mother that I would commit suicide if I don’t file a complaint. I mustered the courage to file a complaint after I saw that he (Jena) has been arrested, she said.
An FIR (case No. 59) has been lodged in this connection with the Town Police here. A case under Section 377 CrPC has also been registered.
In another development, on Saturday, the Sadar Police took Jena on a five-day remand for further interrogation into the Nimakhandi land grab case.
Earlier on April 2, the police had registered the land grab case against Jena, his father Arakhita Jena, former Brahmapur Municipal Corporation Corporator R Murali Mohan and Buna Sahu for forcibly taking possession of a land at Nimakhandi in the city.