Jamui minor assault: Five nabbed
Two men identified as the principal accused in the September 19 assault of two minors in Bihar were arrested on Tuesday after a police encounter in which both were injured, officials said.
One of the accused, identified as Nandan Yadav, was shot in the leg. Another accused, Hareram Yadav fractured his knee while running from a raid party, Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIGP), Munger Range, Rakesh Kumar said. Both are adults from Pratappur village and work as tractor drivers.
The three minors detained on Monday will be produced before the Juvenile Justice Board. Kumar said Hareram Yadav, whose face is wrapped in a scarf in the circulating clip, led the group on camera. Nandan Yadav is the man in a red towel seen holding the girl. In total, the police now have five people in custody.
The two minors who study at the same coaching centre finished class on Saturday evening and rode a scooter to Madwa Pahad, a hill spot off the Jamui-Lakhisarai road.
Between about 6.25 p.m. and 7 p.m., on a stretch roughly three kilometres from the main road in the Jamui Sadar police station area, a group stopped the vehicle, forced them off it and surrounded them.
They were asked whether their families knew they were together. Footage later posted online shows the girl being held, lifted and groped. She is heard asking to be let go and saying they would not come back. The boy tells the group that they study at the same school and that people at home know about them. Police reconstructions from the clips put the duration at about 15 to 20 minutes before the duo were allowed to leave.
No complaints were submitted on Saturday or Sunday, and police learned of the case on Monday when videos seemingly made by one of the group members began circulating.
The Superintendent of Police at Jamui, Bishwajeet Dayal, stated that the police officers spotted two students by means of a vehicle registration number which appeared in one of the clips, obtained statements from them, and at the Jamui police station filed case number 428/2026 under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act as well as relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) concerning assault with the intent to outrage modesty and common intention. Police formed a Special Investigating Team (SIT) led by Sub-Divisional Police Officer Deepti Monali.
Investigators identified around seven people from the video footage. Three minors were taken into custody on Monday. Police continued raids throughout the night. They also filed a separate case against social media accounts that shared the video and revealed the girl’s identity.
Police have spoken of action against dozens of profiles, with some briefings putting the figure near 120, and have sought to have the clips taken down. Police have named one man, Ramashish Choudhary, as the person who recorded the video or first put it online. Kumar has been camping in Jamui since the clips surfaced.
He said interrogation of Nandan Yadav and Hareram Yadav after they are recovered may produce more names.
The exact size of the group was not clear from the video alone, he said, but the men visible as leading the assault are now in hospital custody. Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Kumar Chaudhary said the matter had been booked under POCSO and that those found involved would face action.
