National Commission for Women member Sushma Sahu on Saturday expressed displeasure over the police's failure to arrest powerful people - including senior Congress leader Brajesh Pandey - accused in a minor girl's molestation.

Pandey has been booked under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act for allegedly molesting the minor daughter of a former minister and Congress leader, and for allegedly running a sex racket.

Sahu called on the state director-general of police (DGP) Pramod Kumar Thakur and asked him to step up police raids to nab the accused. She had earlier met the girl and promised to personally talk to the Bihar DGP on the matter.

Sahu said the commission had sought a report from the state police after the girl approached her, alleging that the police were working under political pressure. "It's our duty to ensure justice to the girl," she said.

DGP Thakur updated the NCW member with measures taken by the police to apprehend prime accused Nikhil Priyadarshi and others.

He told Sahu senior officers of the criminal investigation department (CID) were monitoring the case. The girl had provided the commission video footage to substantiate her charges against Nikhil, the son of a retired IAS officer and owner of an automobile showroom in Saguna Mor locality. He also happens to be a friend of the DGP's son.

Nikhil and Pandey went into hiding soon after the inspector-general of the CID's weaker section, Anil Kishore Yadav, announced last week that the two were involved in a sex racket. Yadav's observation came after the deputy superintendent of police submitted his supervision report.

Last week, additional director general (headquarters) Sunil Kumar told journalists that the CID had written to the Union home ministry for issuance of a red corner notice against main accused Priyadarshi. He allegedly lured the girl on the pretext of marriage.

Kumar had also denied any pressure on the police from any quarter in the case. When told that the name of a senior police officer's son had cropped in the case, ADG (headquarters) said: "So far nothing of this sort has come to the fore in the police investigation."

Pandey, who was the state vice president of the Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee, had denied his involvement in the case and alleged that he was being implicated out of political vendetta. He later resigned his party post on moral grounds.

Nikhil and Pandey have been booked under Protection of Children from Sexual Offences as the girl was a minor at the time of occurrence. The CID's women cell deputy superintendent of police Mamta Kalyani supervised the case lodged with the SC/ST police station. The court has already rejected Priyadarshi's anticipatory bail plea.

A retired police officer said: "The incident has reminded people of a similar incident way back in 1983 in which the names of several top politicians of the state had surfaced in a sex scandal. The culprits got scot free because of their political connections."