Julius’ custody over, Bhoi cops waiting

By Our Reporter  

SHILLONG, JAN 12: Rape accused legislator Julius Dorphang was on Thursday remanded to 14 days judicial custody after the East Khasi hills police did not ask for his extension after the five days police custody ended today.

The district and session judge court remanded the 51- year old Mawhati legislator arrested recently for allegedly raping a minor girl.

However, Ri Bhoi police is now seeking issuance of a warrant from their district court so that the legislator can be produced before the lower court as an FIR has also been filed against him in the district

“The court has remanded him to fourteen days police custody,” a police officer escorting the legislator told reporters outside the court’s premises.

Dorphang, an independent MLA supporting the Congress led state government was booked under the POCSO Act for alleged sexual assault on a 14-year-old girl, who was rescued from a sex racket that many people are involved.

He was arrested from an inter-state bus terminus (ISBT) at Gorchuk, Guwahati in neighbouring Assam after absconding from the state for 11 days following the FIR filed by State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (SCPCR).

Two FIRs have been filed by the SCPCR against him which were based on the statements made by the victim girl, who identified his photograph as one among the accused, one in Laitumkhrah police station while the other in Ri Bhoi District.

Earlier during the five days interrogation, police revealed that the rape accused legislator was cooperating and has confessed before the investigation team of the crime.

Dorphang is one among the nine arrested which include a 66 year old man and five pimps involved in the case of trafficking and sexually exploiting the victim girl from Ichamati village under Shella Block in East Khasi Hills District.

The sex racket came to light after an employee of a guest house owned by state home minister’s son was arrested for pimping the victim last month.

The victim was rescued from near the guest house and brought to the police station where she named all those involved in pimping her.

The state government is coming under intense pressure from ngos demanding the dropping of home minister HDR Lyngdoh as his son’s guest house was being used as a place for exploiting the minor girl.