Patna, Sep 24 (IANS) : A video purportedly showing the alleged molestation of a minor girl in the Karpurigram police station area of Bihar’s Samastipur district has gone viral on social media, prompting police to launch an immediate investigation.
The incident took place on a road near the Jagatsinghpur embankment under the jurisdiction of Karpurigram police station. After the district police learned of the video through social media monitoring, they formed a team to identify those involved.
Samastipur Superintendent of Police Arvind Pratap said in a press conference that police arrested all four accused within approximately six hours of learning about the incident.
According to the SP, the incident occurred around a week ago, and questioning of the accused established that it took place on September 15. One of the arrested accused had previously been jailed in connection with an alcohol-related case, he added.
Police also found a copy of the video on one of the accused’s mobile phones. During interrogation, the accused allegedly said he had sent the video to another person, after which it was circulated further and eventually went viral on social media. The police seized the mobile phone and included it in the seizure list as part of the investigation.
SP Arvind Pratap said that, prima facie, the girl seen in the video appears to be a minor. He appealed to media organisations and social media users not to share the video, photographs, posts or any other material that could reveal the girl’s identity or cause her further social or psychological harm.
The police have assured that they will take strict legal action against those found responsible.
The video shows several youths surrounding and harassing the girl on a public road. The girl can be seen trying to leave and asking the youths to let her go. Someone present appears to have recorded the incident.
Police are continuing their investigation into the incident, including how the video was recorded and subsequently circulated on social media.
