15-Year-Old Dalit Girl Gang-Raped in Saptari, One Suspect Held

In Rajbiraj Municipality-11, Jhalhi, Saptari, a 15-year-old Dalit girl was gang-raped by a group of four youths on Wednesday evening. They took her from outside her home. After neighbors informed her family, they searched for her all night.

The next morning, the family caught one of the accused, 19-year-old Raju Yadav, and beat him, which led to the truth about the rape coming out. The girl was rescued from a house where she was hidden, and Raju was handed over to the police. The victim’s brother said Raju and 18-year-old Bibek Yadav raped his sister, while others helped. He also said the local ward chairperson and others are pressuring the family to settle the case for money.

On Friday morning, a meeting was held at a health post with the ward chairperson present, where they offered one lakh rupees to settle the matter. The brother refused and said they are being harassed at home and stopped from filing a police complaint. Ward Chairperson Utidnarayan Yadav denied pressuring the family to settle.

He said he was only at the health post for fertilizer distribution and saw the discussion but didn’t get involved. District Police Office’s DSP Jitendra Kumar Basnet said one suspect is in custody based on the family’s information, but no formal complaint has been filed yet. He added that they will proceed with the case once a complaint is received.