The National Commission for Women (NCW) has also constituted a three-member committee to probe the matter of alleged rape and blackmailing of some Hindu girls by a group of Muslim boys even as the Bhopal police have arrested a fifth accused in the case.

As per reports, Jharkhand’s former Director General of Police (DGP), retired IPS Officer Nirmal Kaur, will head the committee.

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Jabalpur High Court Advocate Nirmala Nayak and NCW Under Secretary Ashutosh Pandey will be the committee members.

The committee will visit Bhopal from May 3 to 5, and meet police officials, victims, and their families for their testimonies and submit a report to the Commission.

Meanwhile, Bhopal Commissioner of Police Harinarayan Chari Mishra said today that a fifth accused has also been arrested, and a fourth victim has also surfaced and lodged a police complaint in the ongoing probe.

On 28 April, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Dr Mohan Yadav had stated sternly that no act of ‘Jihad’ or ‘Love Jihad’ will be tolerated in the state, and anyone found indulging in such activities would be strictly punished.

“Whoever commits a crime will be punished. Our government has not permitted any form of Jihad or Love Jihad on the soil of Madhya Pradesh,” the CM asserted.

The CM’s strict stance came in connection with the ongoing investigation by the Bhopal police in three different, but presumably interconnected cases, in which a group of Muslim boys is alleged to have carried out ‘Love Jihad’ by trapping Hindu girls in colleges and subsequently raping, blackmailing and threatening the victims.

The police have booked the arrested accused on charges of rape, blackmail, and threatening, and also under the Freedom of Religion Act, on the complaint filed by four Hindu girls in different police stations of the city.

The police have also formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the incident, as it is suspected that it might involve a gang operating a sex racket through the rape, obscene videos and blackmailing of Hindu girls.

The Bhopal Police Commissioner said that the accused have been charged under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, the MP Freedom of Religion Act, and other relevant sections.

Several advocates, including women lawyers, had severely thrashed three of the arrested accused when the police had produced them in a court in Bhopal, a day ago.

The arrested persons include the alleged mastermind Farhan Khan aka Faraz, along with Ali Khan, Sahil Khan, Shamsuddin alias Saad, and another.

According to police, the accused men used to introduce themselves as Hindus, and on that pretext they befriended and allegedly raped Hindu girls.

The men are also accused of recording obscene videos and then blackmailing the victims by threatening to make the videos viral.