Bhubaneswar: A man was allegedly thrashed and his wife gang raped by criminals in Odisha's Dhenkanal district, a senior police officer said on Tuesday.

The incident was reported near the Baruna area of the district on October 21 evening. The couple hail from Jajpur district and the woman has been staying at Bhuban for her study, the officer said.

According to the police, the couple was going to their home from Bhuban on a motorcycle on Saturday evening. Some criminals intercepted them near a canal in the Baruna area, thrashed the man and snatched his mobile phone. They allegedly took his wife to a nearby forest area and allegedly raped her, he said.

The victim has lodged a complaint at the Bhuban police station.

"On the basis of the complaint of the woman, a case has been registered and an investigation is under progress. We have identified the accused involved in the incident. We have detained two of them and a manhunt launched to nab another three accused," said Gyan Ranjan Mohapatra, SP, Dhenkanal.

The vehicles used in the crime have also been identified, he said.

"The investigation is at a very preliminary stage. We are yet to get the medical examination report of the victim. However, it seems that it is a true incident. We are expediting the investigation and we will round up all the accused involved in the incident and put them behind bars," the SP said.