Dukshishyam Senapati, a resident of Balanga village in Odisha’s Puri district, recalled on Sunday the harrowing 90 minutes that unfolded after a 15-year-old girl, kidnapped and set on fire, stumbled to his home crying for help. “She was on fire and screaming in pain,” he said, describing the moment he opened his door to find the injured teenager.
Senapati said the incident occurred around 8:30 am on Saturday. Alerted by frantic knocks and screams, he opened the door to find the girl in flames. “With the help of my wife, I doused the fire and gave her water. She was very thirsty. Later, the women of my family changed her clothes,” he told Odisha DGP YB Khurania, who visited the spot a day later.
Victim describes abduction by masked men
The girl, while trembling, reportedly told Senapati that she had been abducted by three unknown men on motorcycles while returning home after meeting a friend. “They had half-covered faces and took her near the Bhargavi riverbank. She said they tied her hands, covered her face with a handkerchief, poured some substance on her, and set her ablaze,” Senapati recalled. When she reached his house, her hands were no longer tied.
Senapati said the girl was able to tell him the name of her father and her village. He informed her family before a crowd gathered. “I could not speak to her much after that. A lot of people assembled quickly at our house,” he said.
Attackers fled assuming she would die on the spot
He added that the girl told him the attackers fled right after setting her on fire, possibly assuming she wouldn’t survive. “But the brave girl ran through the fields and made it to our house,” he said. He tried searching for the men but couldn’t find them.
Ambulance delay forces search for alternative
According to Senapati, a 108 ambulance arrived late, just as they were preparing to transport the girl in an auto-rickshaw. “She stayed at our place for around 90 minutes,” he said.
The incident has left Balanga village shaken. “Our children are now afraid to go outside alone,” Senapati said. He demanded the immediate arrest of the culprits.
Victim shifted to AIIMS-Delhi with 70% burns
The girl, who sustained 70% burn injuries, was initially treated at a local hospital and later shifted to AIIMS, New Delhi, for specialised care. The investigation into the case is ongoing
(With PTI inputs)
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