Patna: Four men gang-raped a 16-year-old girl near GPO roundabout - a kilometre from the Kotwali police station - in the early hours of Sunday, once again exposing the city police's tall claims on night patrolling.
The girl, a resident of Hilsa in Nalanda, was going to Patna Junction to catch a train for Fatuha when the four youths forcibly took her to an isolated area near the railway tracks and raped her.
A Kotwali police party passing though the area managed to catch two youths, while two others managed to flee.
Kotwali police station house officer (SHO) Rama Shankar Singh said: "The patrolling party was able to arrest two accused, Chotu Kumar (21) and Phekan Kumar (21), when the policemen heard the girls' cries for help. The girl has identified both the accused."
The girl was taken to PMCH where her medical examination was conducted at 3am. "Prima facie it appears to be case of gang-rape. However, we are waiting for final medical report," Singh said.
Police sources said that the four youths live in the slums near GPO roundabout, and run tea and vegetable stalls.
"The police have taken the incident as seriously as it has occurred in the heart of the capital," said Patna zone inspector-general of police N.H. Khan.
"We have constituted a special investigation team (SIT) headed by DSP (deputy superintendent of police) law and order Shibli Nomani, and including the SHOs of Kotwali, Gandhi Maidan and Kadam Kuan police stations, and officers from the SSP cell."
Khan also said a medical board will examine the survivor on Monday, and that the accused have been booked under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012.
The IG, police sources said, has directed all SHOs to strengthen patrolling.
The city has been hit by many late-night crimes recently. On March 18, an employee of a private airline managed to drive 35km from Fatuha in rural Patna to Hartali Mor in an allegedly inebriated state without being challenged by the law enforcers. He was arrested when he almost crashed his car into the vehicle of DSP Nomani.
The Sunday night before that, criminals had shot at and critically injured an army jawan who resisted their loot attempt.
"Ever since Nitish Kumar joined hands with BJP, there is no rule of law in state," alleged RJD spokesperson and Maner MLA, Bhai Birendra. "Criminals and anti-social elements have no fear of police as cops are busy in liquor seizures. Meanwhile, people are getting liquor through home delivery due to the police's nexus with bootleggers."
Two in net for rape
The Kudhani police in Muzaffarpur district arrested two youths on Saturday night for their alleged involvement in the gang-rape of a minor girl, who was allegedly kidnapped on Friday night.
The arrested duo, Sukesh Kumar and Dinesh Rai, was produced in a Muzaffarpur court, which remanded them to 14-day judicial custody. The arrested persons are residents of a village under the jurisdiction of Kudhani police station in Muzaffarpur district, around 60km north of Patna.
Kudhani SHO Shashi Bhushan Kumar said that the survivor's statement was recorded in the court under Section 164 of the CrPC. She was sent for medical examination to Sri Krishna Medical College and Hospital.
"The medical report is awaited," the SHO said. "The girl has been handed over to her parents, who reached the court after being informed about the arrests."
The girl was abducted when she had gone to answer the call of nature. The criminals took her to a deserted place and raped her. Later, they took her to Goroul on a motorbike where she was raped again. She was spotted near a petrol pump, trying to get home.
Acting on the information she provided, the police raided the village and arrested the duo. The cops also seized a motorbike allegedly used to commit the crime, an investigating officer said.
During interrogation, Sukesh and Dinesh are learnt to have revealed the names of two other accused. The prime accused in the case, Pankaj Kumar, a resident of Lalganj in Vaishali district, is absconding.
