‘Retd revenue official was sexually abusing children for last 4 yrs’

KANPUR : Former vice president of BJP’s Konch unit and retired revenue official Ram Bihari Rathore was allegedly sexually exploiting children, mostly from poor families, for the last four years, police said. In recent days, he was on a buying spree of sex stamina building medicines. Late Wednesday night search by the Jalaun police yielded two bags full of such medicines. The police, who have identified a total of 36 victims through CCTV footage and 320 videos saved on his mobile phone, laptop and two pen drives, have spoken to eight of them.

KANPUR: Former vice president of BJP’s Konch unit and retired revenue official Ram Bihari Rathore was allegedly sexually exploiting children, mostly from poor families, for the last four years, police said.

In recent days, he was on a buying spree of sex stamina building medicines. Late Wednesday night search by the Jalaun police yielded two bags full of such medicines.

The police, who have identified a total of 36 victims through CCTV footage and 320 videos saved on his mobile phone, laptop and two pen drives, have spoken to eight of them.

Rathore, a well-connected man in Konch town of Jalaun district, targeted the children of his locality. Using cold drinks, chips and candies as bait, he used to gain their trust and invited them to their house where he would mildly sedate and sexually abused them, said an official. “The children and their family members are being counselled. We want to build a fool proof case against Rathore,” SSP Jalaun Dr Yashveer Singh. The children have told police that Rathore blackmailed them with the videos.

They were also forced to do menial jobs at his house besides being sexually abused, police said. “One child said that Rathore called them to his house in the morning and allowed them to leave in night,” a police official said. Some parents of the victims raised their voice against this act of Rathore but they were silenced through intimidation or fake police complaints, said the police. The children were deeply scared and scarred by him and never spoke to their family members about the abuse by Rathore. One of the complainants was trapped three years ago and another child for the last two years. “We cried when he called us but we had to go to his house,” one child told police, who now plan to seek Rathore’s custody remand. The police has been focusing on gathering evidence against Rathore. A forensic team from Jhansi came to Konch and took his mobile phone, laptops, pen drives etc with them for forensic examination. The experts would also look at the videos and gather voice samples of the accused who is heard in the videos. Rathore had made several videos of one child.

“We are filling in the gaps before we question Rathore. We may seek help of psychologists to prepare a list of questions for him,” said an official, adding that Rathore’s brother and sister would also be questioned.