BAHRAICH, July 8 -- The key accused in a series of kidnapping and rape cases involving minor girls was arrested here in a joint operation by Sujauli Police, SWAT, and surveillance teams. Avinash Pandey alias Simple, 32, a resident of Sujauli, has been booked under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, police said on Monday. Superintendent of police (SP) RN Singh said four FIRs were filed on June 25, June 28, July 3, and July 7 after complaints from families whose daughters had gone missing from nearby villages. Initially registered against unknown persons, the cases involved sections 137(2), 65(2), and 115(2) of the BNS, and sections 5(M)/6 of the POCSO Act. Five teams led by additional SP (Rural) Durga Prasad were formed for investigation. All the missing girls were traced within hours of each complaint and were provided with medical support and counselling, an official said. "Based on survivor accounts and on-ground clues, police developed a profile of the suspect. CCTV footage, mobile tower data, and local informer inputs were used to narrow down leads." The investigation took a decisive turn after police received inputs about a suspicious person near Sitaram Puliya in Bajpur Bankati under Sujauli Police Station limits. Teams acted swiftly and detained Avinash Pandey, who matched the suspect description. During interrogation, Pandey confessed to luring minor girls with chocolates and snacks before taking them to secluded forest patches where he sexually assaulted them. His mobile phone contained objectionable photos and videos of the victims, and the survivors later identified him. His bicycle and mobile phone were seized as evidence. Pandey was presented before a magistrate and sent to judicial custody....