Muzaffarpur, Aug 11: Following day-long interrogation of Rahul Anand, the son of Brajesh Thakur who ran the NGO in Muzaffarpur where over 30 girls were raped, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) took him into custody.

The CBI sleuths reached at Thakur's Sahu Road residence at 10am in the morning. At nearly 8pm, reports said, the investigators came out taking Anand along with them. The agency is likely to seek his judicial custody.

Anand is a Hindu journalist and editor of a local daily Pratah Kamal. His father Thakur has already been arrested after the victims testified that they were physically assaulted by Thakur and raped by men whom he knew.

Apart from interrogating and detaining Anand, the CBI today also conducted an extensive search operation at the premises of NGO Seva Sankalp Evam Vikas Samiti.

The shelter home was sealed after the police had begun its preliminary probe. According to reports, nearly eight-feet pit was dug by the investigators today to find the traced of a girl's corpse who was allegedly murdered and buried inside the NGO premises.

However, no evidence of the murder was obtained and the ground was covered with earthen mud again.

The office of the Hindi daily, whose editor is Anand, is also located inside the NGO premises.

The CBI was yet to issue a statement on whether they have collected incrementing leads to indict Anand, alongside his father, in the shelter home rapes case.

The central agency had taken over the probe on July 26, after the recommendation of the Bihar government. Meanwhile, the first FIR was filed on May 31. The matter was brought to light in April, following a survey conducted by the Tata Institution of Social Sciences.

Several officials have been suspended by the Bihar government for dereliction of duty, whereas, the Minister for Women and Child Development, Manju Verma, rendered her resignation after her husband's links emerged with key accused Thakur.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 11, 2018 10:11 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).