Bhubaneswar, Oct. 8 : Orissa Police on Wednesday confirmed that they had arrested the prime accused in the alleged rape of a young nun during the anti-Christian attacks in Kandhamal District.

Somanath Pradhan of Rajaghar village, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Baliguda police station in Kandhamal district, was arrested yesterday. State police officials said that so far five persons have been nabbed.

"We have nabbed the prime accused in the alleged nun rape case incident yesterday," Director-General of police Manmohan Praharaj said.

A news agency report quoted Superintendent of Police (Crime Branch) Yatindra Koyal as saying that more arrests are likely to be made in connection with the rape that allegedly took place in August.

Orissa Police continue to be in the dark regarding the whereabouts of the nun, Praharaj said.

The nun''s presence is being considered essential because she had reportedly told some private news channels that she could identify the accused in person.

The police was meanwhile preparing for a Test Identification parade after arresting Pradhan.

A lady police officers'' team headed by B Radhika, an IG rank officer, returned from Delhi after failing to trace the nun while another team could not locate her in her native village in Sambalpur in Orissa. A third team is being sent to Kerala, police said.

"We have been unable to trace the alleged rape victim so far. The police had formed three teams to trace the nun," Orissa''s Home Secrertary T K Mishra said.

Mishra said the government had already urged the church leaders to cooperate with the police to carry forward investigation so that the culprits could be punished.

"But we have not received any response from anybody," he said.

Suprerior-General of the Missionaries of Charity Sister Nirmala after meeting Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had said that the nun would be ''found'' if proper atmosphere is created.

While the government had no information on the whereabouts of the nun, the catolic church leaders also claimed they wewre not aware of her whereabouts.

"I do not know the whereabouts of the nun. However, I can say that she is in a state of shock and yet to recover the ordeal she faced in Kandhamal," Father Joseph Kalathil, who is also the parish priest and Vicar-General of the Bhubaneswar Catholic Church, said. (ANI)