Bhubaneswar, March 30: Police today arrested two minors for allegedly raping a nine-year-old girl on the outskirts of the city.

The accused, aged 14 and 17, were produced before the juvenile justice board in Khurda today.

The victim, a Class II student, has alleged that the duo had lured her with a chocolate and raped her thrice in the last one month in the house of one of them, when the parents of the accused were away.

“The girl narrated her plight to her mother, who registered a complaint yesterday. Based on the complaint, we arrested both of them,” said inspector in charge of Mahila police station Sujata Panda.

The police said that both the accused lived near the house of the victim. Yesterday was the last time the duo assaulted her.

The duo had threatened her with dire consequences if she told anyone about it.

However, the girl felt uneasy after yesterday’s incident and was admitted to a private hospital.

The doctors informed the matter to the family members and the mother of the girl registered a complaint with the Mahila police.

In a similar incident in June last year, Mancheswar police had arrested a youth for allegedly raping a minor girl after luring her with chocolates. The accused identified as Puhan Singh, 30, was arrested on charges of raping a five-year-old girl.

Workers die in tank

Two workers died while working inside a sewage tank near Dumduma on the city outskirts this morning.

Police suspect the death was caused by suffocation inside the 10-feet-deep tank. One has been identified as Laxmidhar Naik of Nayagarh.

The identity of the second person is yet to be ascertained. Eyewitnesses said both the labourers had entered into the tank to remove a concrete structure inside it. Both of them were later screaming for help.

Another worker present on the spot called up the fire officials for their help. But by the time they came, both had died of suffocation.

They were working in the under-construction house of a doctor.