A five-year-old Dalit girl was allegedly abducted from her home, gang raped and killed in Bihar’s Gaya district on Monday night.

Her dead body was recovered from the banks of a local river. The police have arrested two persons in connection with the case.

The incident occurred in a village under the Sherghati police station area. The little girl was sleeping with her mother in the courtyard of her house when some youths allegedly took her away.

The victim’s mother woke up after some time and noticed her missing. She raised an alarm and members of her family and neighbours started searching for the girl. They noticed a couple of youths near the Morhar river around 500 metres from the house.

They fled after seeing the villagers, but their presence led to the discovery of the victim’s body on the banks of the river.

“We got information about the crime early in the morning about the dead body of a girl being found at Uchirwan village on the banks of the Morhar river. It was recovered and sent to the Anugrah Narayan Magadh Medical College and Hospital for post-mortem,” Gaya senior superintendent of police (SSP) Ashish Bharti told The Telegraph.

The police later arrested two persons — Sandeep Kumar and Gautam Kumar — of the same village. An FIR has been registered at the Sherghati police station under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act and various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

“Both the accused also belong to the Dalit community. Help from the FSL (forensic science lab) team and sniffer dogs was also taken in the case. Both the arrested persons have been sent for medical examination and further investigations are going on,” the Gaya SSP said.

BJP leader arrested for rape of a mentally challenged minor girl

A BJP state functionary identified as one Naresh Ram Turi was arrested in Gaya on Monday on the allegations of raping a mentally challenged minor girl, filming the act and posting the video on social media.

The incident took place under the Fatehpur police station area on Saturday when the minor was playing outside her home.

Turi allegedly lured her to a deserted place and outraged her modesty. He later uploaded a video of the rape on social media, following which the victim’s family complained to the police.

“An FIR was registered and the accused was arrested. We will ensure that the case goes for speedy trial by the court,” Gaya SSP Ashish Bharti said.

Turi is the son of former Jana Sangh (Akhil Bharatiya Jana Sangh) MLA Kali Ram, who represented the Bodh Gaya Assembly seat in the 1970s. He (Turi) was previously arrested in 2023 for molesting a girl in Gaya.