New Delhi/Patna, (IANS) The CBI on Sunday took over the case of rapes in a shelter home in Bihar's Muzaffarpur and filed an FIR to probe the crime in which at least 34 minor girls were victimised, the agency said.

The move comes a day after the Congress demanded a Supreme Court-monitored Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiry into the incident and sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi's attention towards such crimes.

A CBI official said the agency registered a case on the request of Bihar government and a further notification from Central government.

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 agency official said: "The CBI has taken over the investigation of the FIR (First Information Report) of Mahila Police Station, Muzaffarpur registered on May 31 related to mental, physical and sexual exploitation of girl children residing at Children Home at Sahu Road in the town.

"The case has been registered against officers and employees of Balika Grih Sahu Road, Muzaffarpur."

It is alleged that officials and employees of Girl's Children Home run by Seva Sankalp Evam Vikas Samiti had been mentally, physically and sexually exploiting girl children residing there, said the official.

Muzaffarpur police chief Harpreet Kaur said that they will hand over the case files to the CBI team probing the case.

The shelter home was sealed after the sexual abuse of girl inmates came to light during a social audit by the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai. The report 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.