Meghalaya MLA remanded to police custody in sex scandal

Meghalaya legislator Julius Dorphang, who was wanted for sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl, was arrested from his hideout in neighbouring Assam and remanded today in police custody for 5 days.
Dorphang was arrested past 11 o'clock last night from the Inter State Bus Terminus on the outskirts of Guwahati in a joint operation with the Guwahati Metro police and was brought here early in the morning, SP (City) Vivek Syiem told PTI, adding that he had been remanded in custody.
He had been booked under the POCSO Act in connection with the sex-racket involving the minor girl last month, besides Section 366 (A) of the IPC and section 5 of the Immoral Trafficking Prevention Act (ITPA), following which he had gone into hiding.

District and Session Judge E Kharumnuid sent the Independent legislator, who is supporting the ruling Congress in the state, to police custody for five days after he was produced in the afternoon.
Police have also intimated Speaker Abu Taher Mondal about the arrest and the details of the cases pending against the legislator which he will be chargesheeted with, the SP (City) said.
The state police first booked the legislator on December 24 at Laitumkhrah Police Station in Shillong.

On January 4, the court issued a non-bailable arrest warrant against Dorphang, after which the manhunt began.
Following his arrest, police have so far picked up seven of the eight people named by the girl in her statement to the State Commission for Protection of Child Rights.

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Dorphang has another FIR filed against him by the
SCPCR in Ri-Bhoi district based on a statement of the victim that she was also sexually assaulted at a guest house in that district, the police officer said.
Police have also moved court that another section 5(c) of the POCSO Act be added since it was a certain kind of sexual assault committed by a public servant.
The sex racket came to light after an employee of a guest house owned by senior Congress leader and Home Minister's son was arrested on charge of sexually exploiting the victim last month.

The victim was rescued from near the guest house and brought to the police station where she named all those involved in the crime.
The SP (City) has said more arrests will follow as the investigation is on.