Rourkela: Five persons were arrested on Friday for allegedly stripping and parading eight migrant workers from West Bengal through the streets of Town police area in Sundargarh district.
Those arrested have been identified as Manas Sahoo (30), Sumanta Mohapatra (29), Sanket Guru (20), Gopal Banchhor (27) and Abhisek Barik (23), all residents of Sundargarh. Other suspects involved in the incident are currently on the run.
The incident occurred on Thursday when a local resident filed a complaint alleging that one of the construction workers had behaved inappropriately with his 40-year-old wife near their residence and had also tried to grab her while she was heading to the washroom.
Later, the woman's husband, along with nearly 100 locals, confronted the group of workers at the construction site on Mission Road. The mob allegedly stripped eight workers, tied their hands, and paraded them through the streets, all this while assaulting them.
Town police intervened after receiving information about the incident and rescued the workers following a brief confrontation with the mob. One worker, who sustained critical injuries, is currently undergoing treatment at Sundargarh district headquarters hospital.
"Five persons have been arrested, and others involved are being identified and will be arrested soon," said Brijesh Kumar Rai, DIG (western range), Rourkela.