Nepalgunj, August 22

Police in Banke yesterday made public a man who had been on the run after raping a minor more than a month ago.

A team deployed from Kohalpur Area Police Office arrested Govind Damai of Shantinagar, Kohalpur Municipality 11, along with eight others, in the course of attempts to settle a case by paying some cash to the victim’s family yesterday. The culprit had gone into hiding after raping a six-year-old girl on July 6. The victim’s family had filed an FIR against Damai on July 9.

Damai was made public at a press conference at area police office. “As he (Damai) was involvement in various other criminal activities in the past as well, we’re thinking of starting investigation by seeking a remand from the court,” said Deputy Superintendent Ramesh Bahadur Singh of Kohalpur Police Office, adding that most of those arrested with the rapists for trying to settle the case through compensation’ were Damai’s kin.

They have been identified as Nainasara Badi and Durga Nepali of Kohalpur12 and Parbati Nepali, Dal Bahadur Damai, Tikaram Pariyar, Ishwori Pariyar, Jivan Thapa and Sital Chanara of Kohalpur 11.

According to the DSP, they have initiated action against the eight persons. “He (Damai) is our brother-in-law. After committing the unthinkable, he had vanished from the village but was constantly piling pressure on us to take back the case. Yesterday, as they had called me to Gabhar in Baijanath Rural Municipality-1 to settle the case, I informed police and reached the site,” said the victim’s father Tikaram Pariyar.

Police held Damai and the eight others from Gabhar.