9 held in Nalanda molestation case

Biharsharif: Nine people have been arrested so far and one has surrendered in connection with the alleged molestation and attempted sexual assault of a 32-year-old married woman in a village in Nalanda district.

Police said arrests were made during raids conducted between March 31 and April 2. Those arrested included Ashok Yadav, Matlu alias Navneet Kumar, Ranjan Kumar, Sachin Kumar, Dashrath Chaudhary, Shailesh Kumar, Doman Paswan and Sonu Kumar. Anita Devi, who allegedly instigated the accused, was arrested on Thursday night, while another accused, Ravikant Kumar, surrendered before a court on Wednesday.

Police also seized four cellphones from the accused which have been sent for forensic examination. Nalanda SP Bharat Soni said raids are continuing to arrest the remaining accused.




During the investigation, the survivor’s statement was recorded before a court under Section 183 of the BNS, though she declined to undergo medical examination. Additional sections related to attempt to rape, criminal intimidation and provisions of the Information Technology (IT) Act were later added to the case.

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. According to the complaint, the accused assaulted and molested her and attempted sexual assault. They also allegedly recorded the incident on mobile phones and circulated the video on social media to publicly shame her.

Nalanda DM Kundan Kumar said the administration is closely monitoring the situation. “Strict action will be taken against anyone found spreading misleading or defamatory content related to the woman on social media,” Kumar said.

Independent MP from Purnia Rajesh Ranjan, popularly known as Pappu Yadav, visited the village on Friday and met the survivor’s family. He handed over financial assistance of Rs50,000 and assured the family he would raise the issue at appropriate forums to ensure justice.

Meanwhile, leaders of the Jan Suraaj Party visited the village on Thursday and expressed solidarity with the survivor’s family.