15 arrested in Jharkhand’s Chatra after 16-year-old girl raped, burnt alive | Latest News India - Hindustan Times
close_game
close_game

15 arrested in Jharkhand’s Chatra after 16-year-old girl raped, burnt alive

Hindustan Times, Ranchi | ByVishal Sharma
May 05, 2018 11:55 PM IST

Before setting the Class 8 student on fire in Jharkhand’s Chatra on Friday, the accused and his henchmen brutally thrashed the girl’s parents during a hearing at the kangaroo court, forcing them to run for their lives.

Police on Saturday arrested 15 of the 18 people charged in connection with the alleged gang rape and burning alive of a 16-year-old girl at Raja Kendua village in Chatra district of Jharkhand on Friday.

Those arrested include the village head who presided over the panchayat to decide over the quantum of punishment to be imposed on those accused of raping the 16-year-old girl.(Reuters File Photo)
Those arrested include the village head who presided over the panchayat to decide over the quantum of punishment to be imposed on those accused of raping the 16-year-old girl.(Reuters File Photo)

The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) Act has been invoked against the accused as the victim was a minor. “Gang rape charges have been invoked against the accused, but we will wait for the post-mortem report before arriving at any conclusion,” said Bokaro range inspector general of police Shambhu Thakur.

Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now.

The district administration has constituted a medical board for conducting an autopsy of the half-burnt body, he added.

The local panchayat had imposed a penalty of 50,000 on the accused for allegedly raping the girl on Friday afternoon. Enraged by the order, the main accused — Dhanu Bhuiyan — and his henchmen allegedly immolated the victim and brutally assaulted her family. Village mukhiya Tileshwari Devi and panchayat samiti member Ranjay Rajak are among those arrested, said Thakur.

The two were booked on charges of passing unlawful orders and tampering with evidence. However, Dhanu Bhuiyan is still on the run. “Raids are being conducted to nab him and others at the earliest. We are also probing the role of other locals in the incident,” the inspector general said.

Elaborate security arrangements have been made at Raja Kendua village, under the Itkhori police station, to prevent any untoward incident. Senior civil and police officers visited the village to meet the bereaved family members on Saturday, hours after the chief minister ordered stringent action against the offenders.

“A manhunt is on to nab four others, who are absconding,” said Thakur, adding that the victim’s family has been accorded protection.

Minor gang-raped in Odisha, six held

Bhubaneswar Police in western Odisha’s Sambalpur district on Saturday arrested five persons and apprehended a minor on charges of raping a 13-year-old girl. Sambalpur superintendent of police Sanjiv Arora said the accused sexually assaulted the girl on Friday. “We managed to catch all of them today,” he added. This is the fifteenth case of rape of a minor reported in the state in about a month. During this period, at least six cases of molestation of minors too were reported.

In a separate case, police arrested a man on charges of raping an aanganwadi worker in Keonjhar district.

Unveiling Elections 2024: The Big Picture', a fresh segment in HT's talk show 'The Interview with Kumkum Chadha', where leaders across the political spectrum discuss the upcoming general elections. Watch now!

Get Current Updates on India News, Election 2024, Mukhtar Ansari Death News Live, Bihar Board 10th Result 2024 Live along with Latest News and Top Headlines from India and around the world.
SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Share this article
SHARE
Story Saved
Live Score
OPEN APP
Saved Articles
Following
My Reads
Sign out
New Delhi 0C
Friday, March 29, 2024
Start 14 Days Free Trial Subscribe Now
Follow Us On