In a major success, the police on Saturday arrested Junas Tidu, alleged mastermind behind the gang rape that had taken place in Khunti. Along with Tidu, other accused in the case Balram Samad has also been arrested.
IG AV Homkar informing on Sunday about the arrests made said that the police team formed to investigate into the horrific incident that took place on June 19, nabbed Tidu from Jamshedpur whereas Balram was arrested from Khunti.
Five women working with an NGO were allegedly raped at gunpoint by a group of at least five men when they had gone to the village under Arki police station to create awareness on migration and human trafficking.The officials present at the press conference - Kolhan DIG Kuldeep Dwivedi, Khunti DC Suraj Kumar and SP Ashwini Kumar Sinha - maintained that several criminal cases were registered against both the accused and the arrested persons had confessed that the PlFI cadres had provoked them to commit the crime.
Homkar informed the media that both the criminals were the prime accused in the kidnapping and gang rape case of Kochang and abduction of security force personnel from MP Karia Munda's residence. A total of 12 criminal charges are against Tidu while Balram Samad is said to be involved in eight criminal activities as per the record with the police.
Further, according to the record, an FIR was lodged in the woman police station and Adki police station, Khunti on June 21, since then Tidu was absconding. In this case, the police have already arrested a few others for their involvement in the crime which has been substantiated with evidence. The police had arrested PlFI militant Baji Samad aka 'Takla', father of RC Church, Khunti, Ayub Purthi, including Ashish longo, a few days back.
According to the police, during an interrogation an accused had admitted that 'Pathalgadi' leader John Junas Tidu, Balram Samad and laxman Soy had incited several others for raping those girls, who were kidnapped from a school where they had gone to conduct a 'Nuttak Natak' on human trafficking. 'Takla' was arrested on the basis of secret information from Karaikela police station. Meanwhile, during the raids, the police had recovered guns and other rifles from the place.
The senior police officials have stated that on the day of the horrific incident, the episode was captured by a few gang members on their mobile phones. The police had used the eight seconds clipping to identify the accused in the case and in accordance to the evidence found during the raids, the photographs of the criminals were brought in public domain which proved immensely beneficial in further investigation of this case and arresting the other accused.