Kumar Rajiv Nayan
Ara : RJD MALA from Sandesh Assembly Constituency in Bhojpur district Arun Kumar Yadav is in tight spot as Bhojpur police have tightened noose on him in connection with rape of a minor girl. The CID along with Bhojpur police are conducting raids at different places to arrest him but to no avail so far.
Investigating Officer (IO) of the case, Chandrashekhar Gupta, after getting the statement of the survivor recorded under Section 164 of CrPC for the second time, prayed the Additional District and Session Judge I cum POCSO Special Judge, R K Singh, on September 11, 2019, to issue arrest warrant against the RJD MLA from Sandesh Arun Kumar Yadav saying he was evading arrest ever since the survivor changed her statement. The RJD MLA’s Facebook account and mobile are switched off, the IO said.
The court after getting the police diary, issued arrest warrant against the MLA on September 13, 2019, afternoon, and police started searching from him in Patna, Jharkhand, Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, and other places to arrest him. Police have already arrested Anita Devi, wife of Sanjay Ram of village Maniachh under Sandesh police station, and Sanjay alias Guru Ji alias Jija Ji, who were allegedly running a sex racket, Sanjeet alias Sonu alias Chhotan Mahto, son of Bigan Mahto of Kadamkuan, Rajendranagar, Patna, Engineer Amresh Rana of Pakari locality, Ara, and sent them to jail.
Bhojpur SP Sushil Kumar said that special task force (STF) has been formed under ASP (Operations) Nitin Kumar and police have intensified search operation and conducted raids at RJD MLA’s residence at Lasadhi, Agiaw, and Patna to arrest him. Police, however, remain clueless about his whereabouts. The SP said that he is himself monitoring the entire operation and added that police are taking out call detail report of the mobile phone of the MLA.
The SP said if the MLA was not arrested or surrenders within one or two days, police would pray the court to issue Proclamation Notice and warrant of property attachment against the MLA. The SP stated that police would submit charge-sheet against the persons involved in the sex racket very soon.
It may be mentioned here that the minor girl slipped from the clutches of her tormentors and reached Ara on July 18, 2019, and disclosed before Ara Town police station about the sex racket.
The 11 year old survivor of Chhotaki Mathia in Kabirganj locality under Ara Town police station revealed that her neighbour, Lalita Kumari alias Lali, 16, had introduced her to Anita Devi in June 2019, who promised her a better life and also got her admitted to a school, brought her to Patna and pushed her into flesh trade. She said that Anita Devi sent her to a youth in Patna first of all and again to an engineer in Pakari locality, Ara, where she had to spend the whole night. Later, Anita Devi and Lalita Kumari took her to Lucknow for a week and supplied to one Rinku and added that she and other minor girls had to entertain engineers, politicians, and others, almost daily. She revealed that a sex centre was being run in a rented house near the bus stand in Patna bypass. On her revelation, police arrested all the persons involved the sex racket except for the MLA.
Anita Devi said that she was married in 2003 but she started living with an MLA in quarter No 28 near Patna Secretariat with whom she had old relation as she worked as at his house as domestic help after her husband divorced her in 2013. Later, she came in contact with Manish of Sandesh and went to Delhi with him but after living there for some days they returned to Patna where she came in contact with her brother-in-law (jija) Sanjay Paswan alias Pandit alias Guru Ji and started running sex centres. Pandit was already running a sex racket.
She stated that a teenage girl Lali Kumari of Kabirganj worked as her agent and enticed minor and teenage girl. She introduced the survivor to at her at her residence in Harishchandra Nagar locality, Patna, in June this year saying that she was ready to come to Patna. She stated that the girl was supplied to an engineer at Madan Ji Ka Hata under Nawada police station, Ara, and also sent to house near Secretariat at Patna. Anita Devi further disclosed that Sanjay Paswan alias Pandit was the mastermind of the racket. Sanjay Paswan booked girls, fixed rates and sent them on a fixed place.
The survivor had not revealed the name of RJD MLA Arun Yadav in her first statement recorded in the court under Section 164 of CrPC. She had said that she was supplied to an engineer at Ara and an MLA in Patna. She had also not identified the photograph of the MLA earlier. But, she suddenly appeared before police after about two months and revealed the name of MLA Arun Yadav on camera.