Top Bihar Congress leader goes into hiding

Atop Congress politician who unsuccessfully contested the last assembly elections in Bihar has gone underground after the police registered a case of sexual abuse involving a girl who happens to be the daughter of a former minister from his own party.

The case was registered against Brajesh Pandey, state Congress vice-president who has now resigned, after his name figured in a police report on a wellorganised sex racket, allegedly run by an automobile dealer, Nikhil Priyadarshi.

Police said the fugitive has been charged under the law on sexual crime against children and protection of children from sexual offences. The case was registered on Tuesday evening with the Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe Police station in Patna after the police found the charges prima facie true in their investigation.

“The police are conducting intensive raids to arrest the accused,” the inspector general of police in Patna, Anil Kishore Yadav, told media yesterday.

The victim said Priyadarshi lured her to his home with promises of marriage where he and Pandey sexually abused her.