Bhubaneswar/Jagatsinghpur: The alleged gang-rape of a 14-year-old minor in Jagatsinghpur district on Friday has triggered public outrage close on the heels of rape of a six-year-old girl at Salepur in Cuttack district last Saturday.

The incident that came to light on Saturday with Tirtol police arresting three persons, including a minor, in connection with the crime. The survivor, who offered stiff resistance, was badly beaten up by the offenders, who hailed from the same village. Medical examination found traces of injuries on the survivor's private parts.

Sources said the accused - Rashmiranjan Das, 21, Chandramani Behera, 22, and a 14-year-old boy had waylaid the girl, who was returning from her tuition class, at a deserted brick kiln at Krishnanandpur village in Tirtol police limits. "Some pedestrians heard the victim's cry for help and rescued the girl," said sub-divisional police officer Siba Charan Mallick.

The girl was rushed to Manijanga community health centre in an unconscious state.

Later, she was shifted to Jagatsinghpur district headquarters hospital. The accused have confessed to the crime. They were booked under IPC sections 376, 557 (assault or criminal force in attempt wrongfully to confine a person), 342 (wrongful confinement), 506 (criminal intimidation) and sections 4 and 6 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offence Act, 2012. The juvenile delinquent would be produced before the district juvenile justice board, the police said.

On April 21, a six-year-old girl was raped and strangulated in Salepur. On April 24, a five-year-old child was raped and tortured in Burla police limits. On the same day, the police arrested headmaster of a government school at Kakatpur in Puri district for sexual misconduct against three minor girls.

Director-general of police R.P. Sharma had recently said offenders in most such cases were either known to the victims or lived in the same neighbourhood. The police have been asked to treat such offences as "red flag" cases.