On Thursday, the accused of the rape of a minor was caught and brutally lynched by an angry mob in Bihar’s Hasanganj. The accused has been identified as Mohammad Sagir (35), a resident of Hasanganj Bazar under the Hasanganj police station.
Om Prakash, sub-divisional officer of Katihar Sadar said the incident happened when the girl informed her family members that she was sexually assaulted on Wednesday.
Katihar, Bihar | A man who allegedly raped a minor girl was tied to a tree and beaten by locals in the Hasanganj area yesterday. Later, the district hospital confirmed that the man was brought dead. Further investigation underway.
— ANI (@ANI) October 6, 2022
The police stated that the 9-year-old victim was sleeping with her mother inside the house, when the accused arrived and took her away silently.
“He first brought the victim to his house before taking her to a remote location to commit the crime. She called out for aid as they raped her. In the meantime, the victim’s mother awoke and began looking for her child in the village. Soon, other villagers also began searching and they reached the crime scene after hearing the cries,” the police said.
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— Klaus Arminius (@Klaus_Arminius) October 6, 2022
GRAPHIC: Man accused of raping 9-year-old girl dies after angry mob strip and beat him in Katihar
“When the state fails its duties, it is served by the citizens,” says local resident. pic.twitter.com/NpvhtnwRwf
Notably, the accused Mohammad Sagir had committed a similar crime earlier and had served jail time for rape.
“We went there right away to rescue the accused after hearing about the incident. He was taken to a nearby hospital where he died. Sagir was a serial rapist. He had previously served jail term after being convicted on similar offences” said an investigating officer.
In a video shared by Patna-based Pratyek News, the family members of the deceased Mohammad Sagir stated that the relatives of the girl had thrashed Sagir brutally and caused his death. Speaking to the media, Sagir’s brother-in-law stated that one Md Abbas and others were the ones thrashing Sagir. Another relative mentioned that Abbas, Firoz, Afroz, Rukhsana and some of their relatives were the ones behind the brutal mob lynching of Md Sagir.
Sagir’s family have stated that they will file a written complaint with the police seeking justice. They told that they have received the body after post-mortem and other formalities.
As per a ZeeNews report, the accused lured the girl, took her near a secluded place and raped her. However, the victim’s cry for help was heard by villagers who caught the accused and brought him to the village where a Panchayat ordered instant justice and reportedly asked the relatives of the rape victim to thrash the rapist. After this, the accused was brutally thrashed by an angry mob and was handed over to the police as they arrived.
Hasanganj police have sent the rape accused’s body to Sadar hospital for postmortem and further investigation is underway. Meanwhile, the victim is also getting treatment in a hospital.
