The Central Bureau of Investigation has taken over inquiry into the alleged rapes of girls at a shelter home in Bihar’s Muzaffarpur district, ANI reported on Sunday.
Following the state government’s request to the CBI to take over the investigation, officials have booked the officers and employees of the shelter for mentally, physically and sexually exploiting several girl inmates.
On Thursday, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had ordered the director general of police to hand over the inquiry to the CBI, ANI reported. Earlier, State Director General of Police KS Dwivedi had said there was no need to hand the case over to the central agency.
The Bihar Police said on Saturday that 34 minor girls may have been raped at the shelter home run by Seva Sankalp Evam Vikash Samiti, as against the earlier figure of 29. Medical examinations of 44 girls conducted last week revealed that 29 of them had been raped. Later, a fresh medical report released by the Patna Medical College and Hospital put the number at 34.
Ten of the 11 accused in the case have been arrested so far. An inmate of the state-run shelter had earlier claimed that the body of a girl was buried on the premises.
The sexual exploitation came to light after Mumbai’s Tata Institute of Social Sciences submitted an audit report in April and the government filed a first information report on May 31, Social Welfare Department Principal Secretary Atul Prasad had said.
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