Bhubaneswar: In a significant breakthrough in a human trafficking and sexual assault case involving a minor girl from Odisha, police have arrested the prime accused, who allegedly took the victim from her native village to Bhubaneswar on the pretext of providing employment.

The accused, identified as Vinod Patra, a resident of Dihajodi village under Kankadahad police limits in Dhenkanal district, was arrested by Kamakhyanagar Police from the Badra area of Andhra Pradesh's Annamayya district. He was subsequently produced before a court.

According to police, the victim, a minor girl from the Kamakhyanagar area, was allegedly trafficked to Jhansi in Uttar Pradesh, where she was repeatedly sold and subjected to sexual assault over a period of nearly two years. Vinod Patra had initially taken the girl to Bhubaneswar with the promise of arranging work for her. 

After two years of ordeal, the girl reportedly managed to escape and return to Kamakhyanagar, where she lodged a complaint with the police.

Acting on the complaint, Kamakhyanagar Police formed a three-member special team and launched an operation, which led to the arrest of the accused. Efforts are underway to identify and apprehend other persons involved in the trafficking.