J&K: Main accused in NGO sex scandal surrenders

The main accused in the Handwara NGO sex scandal has surrendered before the Jammu and Kashmir Police while another person was arrested in connection with the racket.

Deputy Inspector General of Police (Baramulla) Abdul Subhan Lone told reporters on Sunday that Ghulam Mohiuddin Bhat alias Raja Mohiuddin of Handwara was taken into custody on Saturday evening in connection with the Handwara sex racket.

A school teacher, Ghulam Rasool Tantary, was also arrested in connection with the Handwara sex scandal.

"Raja Mohiuddin is the main accused in the sex scandal and we have concrete evidence against him. He coordinated the activities related to the sex racket in Srinagar," he said.

The accused is a reporter working for two daily newspapers published from Srinagar --  Tameel Irshad (Urdu) and Amroze Kashmir (English) -- and also a news agency -- Kashmir Press Service, owned by his brother, Akash Amin Bhat.

On August 17, police claimed to have unearthed yet another sex racket being run in the garb of a non-governmental organisation in the Valley with the arrest of four girls and five pimps from Handwara area in Kupwara district.

Abdul Majeed Bhat, who was running the NGO -- Women's Welfare Organisation -- in Handwara area, his son Abdul Waheed, Abdul Ghani Mir, Ghulam Mohammad, Khursheed Ahmed Awaan and car driver Nazir Ahmed Tantray were on August 8

arrested from Rajouri in Jammu region where they had taken the four girls.

Mushtaq Ahmed Sofi, a lecturer in Degree College, Handwara, was also arrested. Bhat had admitted before the police that he was running the scandal since the past one year and named 40 girls involved in the racket. Lone said one of the 40 girls had earlier committed suicide and police were investigating the matter.

Police registered the case and formed a Special Investigation Team headed by Superintendent of Police, Handwara, Dr Haseeb Mughal, to probe the case. Police also sealed the office of the NGO and seized all records.

The DIG also said another accused advocate Mir Khurshid, a defeated candidate of the Janata Dal, was absconding. ''We have concrete evidence against him too,'' Lone added.

So far, 15 people have been arrested in connection with the case. Dr Mughal said 58 girls were involved in the sex scandal and 40 vehicles used for ferrying them have also been identified.

On Friday, people in Handwara protested against the scandal and threatened to intensify their agitation if all the accused were not arrested and punished.