Cleric arrested, locals vandalise his house

GHAZIABAD/ NEW DELHI: The Delhi Police Crime Branch on Friday arrested the 40-year-old cleric who heads the Ghaziabad madrasa from where a 10-yearold east Delhi girl was rescued. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) G Ram Gopal Naik confirmed the arrest.

Earlier, the Delhi Police had apprehended a 17-year-old boy in the case for allegedly raping the girl and had been questioning the cleric since Sunday when she was rescued. Another investigator said while the girl had not named the cleric in her statement, he has been arrested as he allegedly knew that the crime had taken place in the madrasa and did not inform the police or stop it.

Meanwhile, the Sahibabad MLA Sunil Sharma wrote to the Ghaziabad administration on Thursday seeking closure of the madrasa.

BJP leader Sharma also sent the communication to Union home minister, Ghaziabad MP General VK Singh (retd) and UP chief minister.

“Since the crime took place under Ghaziabad’s jurisdiction, it is the responsibility of the local administration to seal the building pending investigation. If the madrasa is not sealed immediately, the evidence may get destroyed,” the MLA said.

“There are instances where girls from this area have gone missing and are yet to be traced. The letter is addressed to the district magistrate while copies have also been sent to others,” Sharma added.

The victim was recovered from the madrasa in Ghaziabad during a raid by Delhi police on the night of April 22.

The police had questioned the cleric of the madrasa and later arrested a teenager — a student of the same madrasa — on charges of rape and under provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act.

The girl had gone missing from her house in Delhi on April 21. Her family had shifted from the locality to Delhi on April 19 but the girl went missing two days later.

On Thursday, some people vandalised the residence of the cleric who stays in a rented house near the madrasa. The girl’s family had been his neighbours till they shifted to Delhi.

The members of an outfit Jai Shiv Sena staged a protest and vandalised the house which was locked.

The family of the cleric had fled locking their house since the raid was conducted by the team of Delhi police.