Nepali girl gang rape and murder case: 9 accused surrender, cop absconding

The minor girl, staying in a rented house in East Champaran district was reported to have been gang raped by four men on January 21 and later murdered.

Nine people wanted in connection with gang rape and murder of a 12-year-old girl from Nepal in East Champaran district of Bihar surrendered before a local court on Saturday, however, the police officer accused of complicity in attempts to bury the case is still absconding, said police.

A senior police officer's complicity in hushing up the crime has been proven, said a top police officer (Reuters File Photo)

Navin Chand Jha, superintendent of police (SP), East Champaran said all the accused have been sent to judicial custody after they surrendered in the court of sub divisional judicial magistrate (SDJM), Umesh Prasad, at Dhaka in Sikarahana sub division. "The charges against all the accused have been proven to be correct in the course of investigation. We will take further appropriate legal action," the SP said.

The case was registered on February 2 after the minor girl, staying in a rented house at Kundwa Chainpur in Sikarahana subdivision in East Champaran district was reported to have been gang raped by four men on January 21and later murdered at her accommodation. The accused then allegedly connived with the then station house officer (SHO) Sanjeev Kumar to force the victim’s family to cremate her.

The whole plot surfaced after an audio clip with the voice of the SHO went viral, prompting his suspension. "The charges against ex-SHO Sanjeev Kumar have been found to be true in our investigation. He has already been made an accused in the case and is evading arrest," said the SP.

Accused Jai Prakash Sah, Hari Kishore Sah, Deepak Kumar Sah, Milan Sah, Ajay Sah, Ramesh Sah, Umesh Sah, Sunil Sah and Avnish Sah surrendered before the court on Saturday while the 10th accused Devendra Sah is still at large.