Brajesh Thakur, main accused in the Muzaffarpur case. (Photo: Lokesh Bihari)A Muzaffarpur-based private medical practitioner was arrested by the CBI Tuesday in connection with the Muzaffarpur shelter abuse case, officials said. The accused, identified as Dr Ashwini Kumar practices at Kudani town in the district, CBI sources said. He allegedly to used visit the shelter home run by Brajesh Thakur, the main accused in the case, “on call in name of medical check-ups” and even “inject sedatives” to the girls, they added.
Many of the 32 girls, who had recorded their statements before a judicial magistrate on the direction of a Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) court had, in their statement, claimed that “a doctor” used to visit their shelter home often and they would “lose consciousness” after being injected “with some substance that would make them drowsy and semi-conscious”.
CBI spokesperson Abhishek Dayal confirmed that the doctor was arrested by the investigating agency after several types of sedatives were recovered from the shelter home by the police. “As we did not get full medical records of the inmates and did not find exact explanations on why he used to be called (to the shelter home) and what types of injections he would administer, we have enough reason to suspect him. It is quite possible that several girls were abused after being injected sedatives,” said a CBI source.
Thakur, who was doing some social work in Kudani, knew Dr Kumar “very well” and “only confided in him” to conduct check-up of girls, sources said. The CBI has also sought the pathology and post-mortem records of the past 10 years from the SKM College and Hospital in Muzaffarpur. The probe agency has sought the records over allegations of unreported deaths of some shelter home inmates.
On October 4, a CBI team had dug up a place at a cremation ground, which was identified by Thakur’s driver, and recovered parts of bones and skulls. Though the address of the missing girl could not be matched, the CBI believes that the bones are “very important evidence”, which could be matched once the investigating agency is able to trace the parents of the girl.
Six girls had gone missing from Thakur’s shelter home in 2013, a complaint regarding which had been lodged at a police station. The matter was converted into full-fledged FIR in July this year after medical reports had confirmed sexual abuse of over 30 girls lodged at Muzaffarpur shelter home. All the inmates of the shelter home had been shifted to other shelters in May.
