Bihar: Official’s son held for sexual assault

PATNA: The 18-year-old son of a senior state finance department official was arrested here on Thursday on charges of sexually assaulting a minor girl after befriending her. The girl reportedly made an abortive bid to commit suicide. The police had swung into action after a video related to the incident went viral on Wednesday.
Station house officer (SHO) of the Airport police station K K Majumdar said Sumit Gaurab, a resident of Bhatthapar locality under Danapur police station in Patna west, was produced before court, which remanded him in judicial custody for 14 days.
The girl lives with her father, who is also a senior public servant, at Kautilya Nagar. She and the accused were in the same school — a noted private school in the city — for some time, an investigating officer said, adding that the youth sexually assaulted her after taking her into confidence.
Police officials said the girl left her house on Wednesday for an unknown destination. The family members reported the matter to the Airport police station when they failed to trace her.
The SHO said that the girl was found at Ara in Bhojpur district where she had reportedly gone to commit suicide. “She has been safely handed over to her parents after a medical examination. The report is awaited,” he added.