Argus News - Fourth Accused Arrested in Dhauli Gangrape Case, One Still Absconding

Bhubaneswar, Jan 16: Police have arrested another accused in the Dhauli gangrape case, taking the total number of arrests in the case to four, officials said on Friday.

The latest accused, Sagar Jena, was arrested by a special squad of the Commissionerate Police from the Badagada area of Bhubaneswar. Police said Jena was involved in the alleged gangrape of a minor girl that took place on December 10 near the Daya riverbank in the Dhauli area on the outskirts of the city.

With Jena’s arrest, four accused have now been taken into custody in connection with the case. One accused is still absconding, and police said efforts are underway to trace and arrest him.

Earlier, Commissionerate Police had achieved a major breakthrough with the arrest of the prime accused, Satyaprakash Hati, also known as “Joker Happy,” from the Ganjam district, following an intensive search operation. Police said that Hati has a long criminal history, with more than 20 cases registered against him at Badagada and Dhauli police stations.

According to police records, Hati was first arrested in 2018 in a vehicle theft case. He was later arrested in 2022 for allegedly attacking a man with a blade in Sishupalgarh. In February 2024, he was again booked for allegedly attacking police personnel during a clash in his village. In June 2025, he was arrested for assaulting a man near the Puri bypass. Police said he had been released on bail only a week before the alleged gangrape incident.

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Investigators said the survivor, a 17-year-old student, was with a male friend at the Daya riverbank on December 10, 2025, when the accused approached them, allegedly demanded money, and assaulted them. The family later filed a gangrape complaint at the Dhauli police station on December 13.