Jamshedpur: Sujit Maharaj, a monk of Sonari-based Bharat Sevashram Sangha (BSS), accused of raping a minor, was sent to judicial custody on Friday. Earlier, he was produced before the Court of a Judicial Magistrate.
Naresh Prasad Sinha, Officer In-charge of Sonari, PS, said, “We have arrested the monk on charges of raping a 15-year-old girl on Tuesday evening. In this connection, the victim had lodged an FIR with the Sonari PS, after which we had roped in CWC which spoke to the victim and sent her to Sadar Hospital, Khasmahal, for medical examination on Thursday”.
The monk was arrested on the basis of victim�s statements before police and Child Welfare Committee (CWC). Cops claimed there were contradictions at certain points between the girl’s statement and the CCTV camera footage obtained by the police.
The OC said although the medical examination report is expected to come by Monday, the monk was arrested on the basis of the CCTV footage obtained from BSS premises.
“In the CCTV footage we have found that the girl was in the accused monk’s room for over three hours on Tuesday evening. In the footage we found that the accused had come out alone from the room and had locked the door from outside for about 17 minutes. After locking the room the monk was seen strolling in the BSS premises restlessly before he opened his room again,” said the OC.
Sinha said after coming out of the room along with her sister-in-law, the girl complained of pain in her private parts.