Khunti gang rape ‘mastermind’ held
JAMSHEDPUR/KHUNTI: In a major breakthrough, the Jharkhand police on Sunday arrested the alleged Pathalgadi mastermind and one of the accused in the gangrape of five tribal girls in Kochang jungles under Khunti district on June 19.
Senior police officials of the state police announced the arrest in a press conference.
The arrests of John Jonas Tudu and Balram Samad came after an inter-district operation by Jamshedpur police and the Khunti police who nabbed the two trying to sneak to Maharashtra, they said.
Tudu is wanted in 12 cases while Balram Samad is wanted in eight cases lodged in Khunti district. Both hail from Kurunga village in the district.
Police had earlier arrested Fr Alfonso Aind, PLFI area commander Bazi Samad alias Takla, Jonas Mundu, Ajob Sandi Purty and Ashish Longo in connection with the gang rape.
Tudu and Balram are allegedly chief aides of Pathalgadi leaders Dr Yusuf Purty and Laxman Soy – both still absconding. All the accused arrested earlier have confirmed that Tudu, Balram and Laxman Soy provoked them to rape the activists.
“We formed a special task force under additional SP Pranab Anand Jha Saturday night on a tip off and picked up John Jonas Tudu from... East Singhbhum district the same night. We got crucial leads from Tudu which subsequently led to Balram Samads’s arrest from Jeevan Tollah ...” Jamshedpur senior superintendent of police (SSP) Anoop Birthare, said.
“Tudu and Samad confessed during interrogation that both had incited PLFI’s Bazi Samad and Jonas Mundu for gang raping the girls. They had said these girls informed the administration about them hence needed to be humiliated...” Kuldeep Dwivedi, Kolhan IG, said at the press conference.