3 forest guards detained for rape bid in Odisha's Balasore district

Three forest guards were today detained for allegedly attempting to rape a tribal woman while she was sleeping at a tree-top shelter in Balasore district.

Police today said the incident took place at Tenda village under Nilagiri police station area inside Kuldiha Sanctuary yesterday night.

The 32-year-old woman in her FIR said she and her 3-year-old daughter were sleeping on the tree-top shelter near her farm land in the village to protect Rabi crop from wild animals.

She alleged that she woke up at night to find two forest guards trying to disrobe her with one of them holding her hands and mouth and she fainted.

When she regained consciousness, the FIR said, she found two more forest guards below the tree-top shelter and raised an alarm.

Hearing her cry, her relatives rushed in captured three forest guards and one managed to flee.

Hearing her cry, her relatives rushed in captured three forest guards and one managed to flee, police said adding that the three were detained.

Forest Ranger Laxman Pradhan alleged that the forest guards were searching for the woman's husband for allegedly poaching a deer inside the sanctuary.

The venison was found in the village and the guards had gone there suspecting that he would be found there, Pradhan said.

Nilagiri was recently in news for the rape of a minor girl.