11th accused surrenders in Nalanda molestation case

Biharsharif: Munna Pandey, the 11th accused in the alleged molestation case of a 32-year-old married woman in Nalanda district, surrendered before a court in Biharsharif on Wednesday amid mounting police pressure.

Noorsarai SHO Arvind Kumar said Pandey and two others had been absconding since the incident came to light, and raids were being conducted to apprehend them. He added that he had learnt about the surrender from media reports and had not received any official confirmation.

Earlier, several accused had already been arrested during police raids in the district. Those arrested include Ashok Yadav, Matlu alias Navneet Kumar, Ranjan Kumar, Sachin Kumar, Dashrath Chaudhary, Shailesh Kumar, Doman Paswan, Sonu Kumar and Anita Devi. Another accused, Ravikant Kumar, had earlier surrendered before the court during the investigation.

According to police, the incident occurred on March 26 when a group of villagers allegedly dragged the woman out of her house after accusing her of having an illicit relationship with a local man. The accused allegedly assaulted and molested her and also recorded the incident on mobile phones, which was later circulated on social media.

Police have seized several mobile phones and sent them for forensic examination. Additional sections related to attempt to rape, criminal intimidation, and provisions of the IT Act have been added. Further investigation is underway.