Muzaffarpur: Police in Bihar’s Muzaffarpur district have arrested two men on suspicion of kidnapping and repeatedly raping a teenager, first in a shop and then in a car, before leaving her for dead. The incident has sparked outrage and drawn criticism of the state’s law and order situation from political figures.
Pintu Sharma, 25, and Ganesh Sah, 32, were apprehended by police and have reportedly confessed to the crime. According to police, the victim, a teenager, was abducted from Aurai on July 26 after she went to Sharma’s mobile recharge shop in a village market.
Investigators allege that Sharma pulled the girl inside his shop and lowered the shutter, then called Sah. The two men are accused of raping her inside the shop before forcing her into a car. They then allegedly drove her away, continuing the assault in the vehicle.
Police stated that after the assaults, the perpetrators attacked the girl on the head with a rod and threw her into a bush by the roadside in Pupri, near the Sitamarhi border.
ASP East Shahreyar Akhtar confirmed that both accused were taken to the crime scene for recreation of the events. Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) investigations have reportedly found evidence of rape in the car, along with bloodstains from the victim’s head, consistent with being hit with a rod. FSL analysis also found evidence of rape inside the shop.
Police have seized Ganesh Sah’s mobile phone, which reportedly contained numerous nude videos and obscene audios. Authorities are questioning him about the content. Sah’s wife visited him at the police station on Monday.
Adding to the complexity of the case, authorities revealed that Ganesh Sah allegedly removed CCTV cameras and their digital video recorder (DVR) box from the market in an attempt to destroy evidence. Police are currently conducting raids to recover the missing equipment and are pressuring Sah’s family for its return.
The teenager was reported missing on the evening of July 26, with her family filing a complaint with Aurai police on July 27. She was later found in Pupri and identified by her family from a picture.
The victim was found to have suffered significant blood loss and a dangerously low haemoglobin level. She was initially admitted to Sitamarhi Sadar Hospital before being referred to SKMCH, where she is currently receiving treatment in the Intensive Care Unit. ASP Akhtar stated that her condition is improving following blood transfusions.
The incident has drawn strong condemnation from political figures. Rajesh Kumar Ram, the Bihar Congress state president, visited the victim at SKMCH on Monday and criticised the state’s law and order situation, stating it had “gone in disarray.” He also accused the police of inaction after the initial complaint was lodged.
Ram further criticised Health Minister Mangal Pandey, alleging that his department has been pressuring medical colleges not to refer victims to PMCH since a previous incident in Kudhni.
