Eight persons, accused in the brutal gangrape of four school girls in Pakur district, have been arrested, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren said today.
"Eight of the nine accused have been arrested, and the one remaining will be caught soon," he told reporters in the presence of DGP Rajeev Kumar and Home Secretary N N Pandey here.
Terming the incident as shocking, he said a team would visit the area to probe the grisly act which occurred at a secluded spot near the school run by a mission.
"The government will take the responsibility for the minor girls' education and train them in self-defence," he Soren said.
According to DGP Kumar, the arrested persons belong to Santhal Parganas.
On Sunday night, the girls were forcibly taken away by miscreants at Lobda village under Littipara police station.
Pakur police said all the four girls are aged between 12 and 15 and belong to primitive Paharia tribe. While two read in class III, the other two were taking vocational training in the mission school.
Soren said the government has given monetary help to the victims.
Describing the incident as a cause for concern, he said his government would take steps in giving enough security to schools located in remote areas so that these incidents do not recur.
He also said he was yet see the status report of investigation into the alleged rape and murder of two other minor girls in Deogarh district, also in Santhal Pargana region, a couple of months ago.
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