Properties in Bhopal and Indore belonging to rape accused Pyare Mian have been razed (Representational)
A 68-year-old man accused of raping minor girls, possessing pornographic materials and enabling rich and influential individuals in the sexual assault of minors was arrested in Jammu and Kashmir's Srinagar on Wednesday.
Pyare Miyan, who owned and operated an Urdu language newspaper in Madhya Pradesh's Bhopal, was tracked down and captured after five minor girls and a woman filed rape charges.
"We had specific inputs about his location in Srinagar. He has been arrested with aid of local police and will be brought back to Bhopal soon," Sai Krishna S Thota, Police Superintendent (Bhopa South), said.
"CDs, DVDs, pen drives and hard disks containing pornographic material have been seized after raids on five properties owned by Pyare Miyan in Bhopal and Indore," the police officer added.
The seized material includes child pornography, he said. Mr Thota, who heads the SIT probing this case, said victims told the cops that Miyan used to show them the videos.
"Police have also seized an antler and bones of wild animals, besides expensive liquor, during the raids. Seized vehicles include an Audi and a Mitsubishi Pajero," he said.
Multiple properties owned by the accused, including a wedding hall constructed by encroaching on public land, have been demolished so far. His journalist's accreditation has also been cancelled and government accommodation allotted to him has been revoked.
The sleazy network was exposed after five girls (all in their teens) were found in the Ratibad area of Bhopal on Sunday.
They said the accused had taken them to a farm house in the Shahpura neighbourhood on pretext of a birthday party. Subsequent investigations showed that all five girls were raped by both the accused and his accomplices.