Three cops booked for alleged rape of Bangladeshi woman at Hazaribag detention centre

An FIR has been registered against three police personnel for the alleged rape of an illegal immigrant woman detainee at the Hazaribagh Detention Centre. The accused—Ranjit Mahato, Renu Benjamin, and Waris Kachhap—have been suspended pending investigation.

The case was brought to the notice of the Jharkhand High Court after the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA) submitted a sealed report stating that the woman had allegedly been raped by the three cops while in detention.

During hearing on Monday, the state government informed the High Court that they had informed the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) since 2023 regarding the woman's deportation to Bangladesh but had not received any response. The Court directed counsel for the Central Government to file a reply on the issue.

The state government also informed the Court, through an affidavit, that an FIR had been registered against the three constables and that they had been suspended. The Court questioned the state over the legal provisions invoked in the FIR, particularly the applicability of provisions under the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Advocate General Rohit Roy assured the Court that the FIR would be amended wherever necessary.

The High Court directed the state government to ensure that the victim is provided with all necessary facilities during her stay at the detention centre. After considering DLSA's sealed report, the Court posted the matter for further hearing on October 15.

Earlier in the day, High Court questioned the state government over its handling of the woman's detention and deportation. The Court asked why another case under the Foreigners Act had been registered against her in 2025 after she had already been convicted under the same law in 2021. It also noted that she was acquitted in a Foreigners Act case in 2026 and sought to know why the government did not challenge the acquittal by filing an appeal.

The Bench further questioned why, if the woman had been declared a foreign national in 2021, she was not deported at that time and was instead lodged in the Hazaribagh Detention Centre. Responding to the Court's queries, the Home Secretary stated that the state government had contacted the Bangladeshi authorities regarding her deportation but had received no response.

Advocate General Rohit Roy sought time to obtain further instructions from the state government, following which the Court resumed the hearing later in the afternoon. Appearing for the petitioner, Advocate Ankit Apoorva submitted arguments before the Bench.

The state government also informed the Court that two criminal cases had been registered against the woman in 2018—one relating to child kidnapping and another under the Foreigners Act. She was sentenced to two years' imprisonment in the kidnapping case. In 2021, she was sentenced to three years' imprisonment under the Foreigners Act. After serving her sentence, she was lodged at the Hazaribagh Detention Centre, from where she allegedly escaped towards the end of 2025. A fresh case under the Foreigners Act was subsequently registered against her, in which she was acquitted in 2026. The matter was heard by a Division Bench of the Jharkhand High Court headed by Justice Sujit Narayan Prasad.