Kataka: In a key development in the alleged Nischintakoili gang-rape case, police have arrested the sixth accused.

The accused, who hails from the Kudhanagari police station area of Kendrapada district, had fled to Visakhapatnam following the incident. He later returned to Kataka by train.

Acting on information about his arrival, a special police team tracked him down and arrested him near OMP Square while he was travelling from the railway station.

Kataka Rural SP Vineet Agrawal said the accused would be produced before a court. Further investigation into the case is underway.

Five other accused have already been arrested in connection with the case.

According to the complaint, a woman and her male friend were travelling by car towards Kendrapara late Tuesday night. When the man, who was driving, felt tired, he parked the vehicle near the Public Works Department (PWD) Guest House at Sukarpada along the Kataka -Chandbali road and fell asleep inside the car.

Between around 3 a.m. and 3:30 a.m., a group of four to six youths allegedly arrived at the spot, smashed the car windows and assaulted the man. They allegedly dragged the woman to a nearby abandoned building, where she was allegedly sexually assaulted.

The accused allegedly later took the woman away in another vehicle, while her male friend followed them in his car.

Near Katikata, the woman reportedly raised an alarm. Hearing her cries, local residents, along with her male friend, chased the vehicle and intercepted it.

The accused allegedly abandoned their vehicle and fled on foot. Local residents managed to catch one of them and handed him over to the police.

Nischintakoili police subsequently reached the spot and took the accused into custody. The woman and her male friend were also brought to the police station.

Based on the woman’s complaint, police registered a case and launched an investigation. The survivor was also taken for a medical examination.

The survivor is from Kataka district, while her male friend is from the Fatehgarh police station area of Nayagarh district.