Bhubaneswar, Sept. 18: An autorickshaw driver and two of his friends allegedly molested a minor girl who had boarded the vehicle near Baramunda bus terminal early this morning.

The 17-year-old girl, a native of Kandhamal, was on her way to Nayapalli in the autorickshaw when the accused molested her.

This is the second incident of molestation in a moving vehicle in the city within a week. On September 10, a 21-year-old woman was kidnapped and allegedly molested by three persons, including two autorickshaw drivers, in a moving vehicle that was also going to Nayapalli from Baramunda bus terminal.

The victim of this morning's molestation had come to Bhubaneswar as one of her relatives had reportedly arranged her marriage with a man from Jhansi in Uttar Pradesh.

"The girl had boarded a Bhubaneswar-bound bus from her native village and reached Baramunda bus terminal around 3am. From there, she took an autorickshaw to reach the house of her relative at Nayapalli. Finding the girl alone, the autorickshaw driver and two of his associates molested her," said a police official.

The girl screamed and sensing trouble, the accused dropped her near the CRP Square. Later, other commuters spotted the girl at CRP Square and informed the police control room. A police control room vehicle rushed to the spot and picked her up.

Deputy commissioner of police Satyabrata Bhoi said the police had registered a case and started probe.

"We have also conducted a medical test on the victim and have made a spot visit. We are trying to nab the autorickshaw driver and his associates," said Bhoi.

The cops also suspect that the girl might have been trapped by a human trafficking racket. "We are trying to trace her relative who had promised to get her married to a suitable boy at Jhansi," said a police official.

The incident has once again brought into focus the issue of safety of women in the city, especially at night.

On September 10, three persons had kidnapped a 21-year-old girl and two of her male companions while the girl was waiting for a cab near Baramunda. The accused in that case had posed as officers from Khandagiri police station. They were later nabbed by the police after one of the male companions of the girl raised an alarm. Two of the accused were auto drivers.