Patna, Jul 29 (IANS): The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has taken over the probe into the alleged rape of minors at a government-run shelter home in Bihar's Muzaffarpur, an official said on Sunday.

According to police, as many as 34 girls housed in the Balika Grih shelter home have been subjected to repeated mental, physical and sexual exploitation.

A CBI spokesperson in a statement in Delhi said the agency has registered a case on the request of the Bihar government and taken over the investigation of the FIR of women's police station in Muzaffarpur "related to mental, physical and sexual exploitation of girl children residing at (the) children home at Sahu Road".

"The case has been registered against officers and employees of Balika Grih. It is alleged that officials and employees of (the) children home run by Seva Sankalp Evam Vikash Samiti used to mentality, physically and sexually exploit girl children residing at the childrens' home."

Muzaffarpur police chief Harpreet Kaur said Bihar Police will hand over the case failes to the CBI team that has arrived in the district.

Under pressure from opposition, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Thursday recommended a CBI probe into the series of rapes that he described as "a heinous crime".

The shelter home was sealed after the alleged sexual abuse of the girls was reported during a social audit conducted by the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai.

The report of the audit was submitted to the state Social Welfare Department, which directed officials to lodge a complaint.

A medical examination of 44 girls of the home revealed that 21 of them were raped. The district police has arrested some officials of the home.