Police arrest absconding former BJP leader Mukesh Bora in rape & POCSO case
Thursday, 26 September 2024 | PNS | HALDWANI
After evading arrest for 24 days, the former BJP leader and the Nainital Milk Federation president Mukesh Bora was finally arrested in a rape and POCSO case on Wednesday near Chaku Chowk in Rampur district of Uttar Pradesh. He has been accused of raping a 36-year-old woman and assaulting her 12-year-old daughter. The police arrested him after getting a tip off from an informer.
The Nainital senior superintendent of police Prahlad Narayan Meena said during a Press conference on Wednesday that the case came to light when a woman lodged a complaint at Lalkuan police station on September 1. She alleged that Bora, a resident of Chyuri Gaad, Mukteshwar, Nainital, had raped her under the pretext of securing her a permanent job at the Milk Federation in Lalkuan. She also claimed that Bora’s driver, Kamal Belwal, also threatened her via a WhatsApp message. Based on her complaint, a case was registered under relevant sections and the investigation was handed over to sub inspector Vandana Chauhan, the SSP said. He said that multiple special teams were formed to locate the accused. These teams raided several potential hideouts, including Bora’s permanent residence in Chyuri Gaad and a rented house in Mukhani. The police later added additional charges in the case under the POCSO Act on September 4 based on the victim’s and her daughter’s statements.
Meena said that despite multiple raids, Bora remained elusive. Consequently, a non-bailable warrant was issued against him on September 8, followed by a public proclamation on September 9 to aid in his capture. As Bora continued to abscond, the court issued a property attachment notice under Section 85 on September 13 after which his movable property was confiscated from his residential and rented properties. The High Court also rejected anticipatory bail application of Bora on September 21 stating that there is no such provision under the POCSO Act.
Besides this, the police also booked four people on September 23 for helping Bora to evade arrest. These were Asha Rani, Surendra Singh Parihar, Nandan Arya ( an officer of the transport department) and Devendra Singh Chunotiya, who have been charged under relevant sections for harbouring the fugitive. He was finally arrested on Wednesday. The police also got his police custody remand for 14 days. Moreover, Bora claimed political vendetta behind his arrest during a short interaction with the media after his arrest.
