Police turned the Biharsharif court in Nalanda district - around 82km southeast of Patna - into a fortress on Thursday because rape-accused RJD MLA from Nawada, Raj Ballabh Prasad, was expected to surrender in the court. However, the police officers returned empty-handed after a little-over-six-hour wait.

Raj Ballabh, who had earlier unsuccessfully contested the 2014 Lok Sabha election from Nawada on an RJD ticket against the BJP's Giriraj Singh, is accused of kidnapping and raping a 15-year-old girl at his Nawada residence on February 6. He has been absconding since the FIR was filed on February 9.

"We had deployed security forces outside the court to nab the accused after reports poured in about his likely surrender in the court," Nalanda superintendent of police Vivekanand told The Telegraph on the phone. "We want to arrest him so that he can be questioned properly in the kidnapping-cum-rape case."

He said that raids were conducted in Patna, Nalanda, Nawada and Gaya to nab the MLA.

The victim's relatives, however, accused the police of going slow under political pressure.

The cops did not do anything for three days after the FIR was lodged with the woman police station in Biharsharif on February 9, a relative of the victim pointed out. Even though the victim had already identified where she was raped and also her rapist.

"They provided sufficient time to the accused to escape," a relative alleged.

The relative said that the victim's father even met a senior IPS officer in Patna on February 10, but nothing happened and the accused was seen roaming free.

The police swung into action only when deputy inspector-general (central range) Shalin came to know about the incident.

"I came to know about the incident on February 12 in the evening and the very next day I visited Nalanda and inquired about the incident," Shalin told The Telegraph. "Since there were evidences to corroborate the charges, I instructed the investigating officer to arrest the accused."

DIG Shalin issued an arrest order on February 13.

"Since then nothing has happened," said the victim's relative. "It seems that the police are waiting for him to surrender at his sweet will. He has both money and power, which perhaps has prevented police from initiating action."

The investigating officer, Mridula Kumari, who is also SHO of the woman police station,seemed in no hurry when she claimed: "We are doing everything to arrest the accused, but they are absconding. We are now waiting for the property attachment order, which is yet to be issued from the court."

The victim's family is frightened. "We apprehend threats to our lives," said the girl's father.

Nalanda SP Vivekanand said two constables, including a lady, have been deployed at the victim's rented house.

A team of the National Commission for Women (NCW) comprising Sushma Sahu and Rekha Kumari met the victim and her parents in Nalanda on Wednesday. The team has sought a detailed report on the incident from the director general of police within two days.

A CID team headed by inspector-general Prita Verma is likely to visit Nalanda on Friday. Apart from Raj Ballabh, a woman named Sulekha Devi and her mother and daughter have been made accused in the case.