Friday, 30 AUGUST 2024 | PNS | DEHRADUN
The police are examining the work history of Shabbir Raja, a 42-year-old Maulvi, who is accused of sexually assaulting preteen girls at a Madarsa in Rudrapur, Udham Singh Nagar. Authorities are investigating whether Raja, who was hired to teach Urdu at the Madarsa a few months ago, had previously committed similar offenses in his previous jobs as well. The investigating team has already visited Rampur in Uttar Pradesh where he reportedly worked in a mosque. The police will soon visit his village Daang in Jahanabad area of Pilibhit district in UP, the Rudrapur superintendent of police (City) Manoj Katyal said. Raja was arrested last week for allegedly raping and assaulting young girls in his room by intimidating them with stories of djinn. Police reports indicate that he used his phone to show pornographic material to the victims before assaulting them. The case came to light when a girl’s mother filed a complaint two weeks ago, claiming that Raja had assaulted her daughter along with four other girls. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been formed by senior superintendent of police Manjunath TC to investigate the case. The police had also found Raja’s mobile phone hidden in an air-conditioned room of the madarsa. The phone’s browsing history contained numerous pornographic videos, corroborating the victims’ statements, as per the police. Katyal stated that the SIT is diligently gathering evidence and the investigation is ongoing. Further details will be disclosed as the inquiry progresses, he added.
