Man accused of rape in Badshahpur held near Nepal border

A 35-year-old man who was on the run for more than a year after he was accused of being involved in a rape case, was arrested from near the Indo-Nepal international border in Madhubani district of Bihar, police said on Wednesday.

Investigators said that the victim was about 40 years old and lived in the same locality where the suspect lived. The incident had taken place on July 15 last year following which the victim had submitted a written complaint at the Badshahpur police station, on the basis of which a rape case was registered.

Inspector Satish Kumar, station house officer of the Badshahpur police station, said that the suspect had fled soon after he got to know that the victim had approached the police despite being threatened with dire consequences.

“The suspect, identified as Sanjeev Kumar Kamat, is a driver by profession. After he escaped and could not be traced for some time, we announced a reward for anyone whose information would lead to his arrest,” he said.

“However, even after several attempts, Kamat could not be traced as he had switched off his mobile phone and had stopped contacting his family back in Bihar,” he said.

A crime branch official, on condition of anonymity, said that Kamat continued to work at various locations in Delhi-NCR, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar after frequently changing his identity. He did not contact his family in the intervening time.

“The moment he was asked for identity documents and other papers by his employer, he used to leave the job immediately. Recently, we got to know that he had returned to his native place Bardaha in Madhubani following which members of the Sector 40 crime branch team were pressed into action. They finally managed to arrest him on Monday,” he said.

Investigators said the suspect was brought back to the city on Tuesday and was sent to jail after being produced before a city court.