Man in cop net

Paradip: Police on Wednesday arrested a 30-year-old man, who had forced his wife, a minor, into prostitution. With the arrest of Judhistir Pradhan, the ordeal of the 17-year-old girl, who had been sexually assaulted several times in Bhubaneswar and Chennai, with Pradhan as abettor, has drawn to an end. The victim was rescued from Bhubaneswar railway station by the child helpline members and shifted to a short-stay home. Kujang police station inspector Chinmoy Rout said: “Based on the FIR lodged by the Child Welfare Committee, we arrested the accused from Paradip port township.” 

Tortoises 

Cuttack: Forest officials on Wednesday seized 12 endangered softshell tortoises from the Kathajodi river mouth at 42 mouja area here. Each tortoise costs Rs 40,000 to Rs 50,000 in the market, said the officials. However, the accused managed to escape. The tortoises were being sent to Calcutta.

Swab test

Bhubaneswar: Forest personnel and officials of the Animal Disease Research Institute left for the National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases, Bhopal, with swab samples of the 20 peacocks found dead inside the Madhupur forest in Khurda district on Tuesday. The swab will help ascertain the cause of the deaths.