A six-year-old girl was raped and murdered under the jurisdiction of the Saidabad police station in Hyderabad late on Thursday, September 9. According to the police, the body of the victim was found in the house of the accused. The man is said to have befriended the child by offering her chocolates before committing the offence.
According to reports in the local media, the accused has been detained. However, a senior police official told TNM that he has not been arrested yet, and that a special team has been constituted to look into the case. The incident sparked outrage among the residents of the area. After it came to light, tensions arose as residents blocked the road and demanded that the accused be handed over to the mob. The police said that the girl went missing from her house hours before she was found dead. The family members of the victim and scores of the residents of the colony even pelted stones on the house of the accused.
Residents and youth organisations have also staged a protest in the city’s Champapet Road, demanding the intervention of the District Collector to deliver justice to the bereaved family. To control the situation, over 300 police personnel were reportedly deployed in the locality, and the situation is now under control, as per reports in the local media.
Police said that the body of the victim has been shifted to Osmania General Hospital for a postmortem and other medical examinations. A case has been registered under sections of rape and murder of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and under relavent sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act 2012.
Speaking to TNM, Venkata Ramana, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Malakpet, said that the case was registered based on a complaint from the parents of the victim. "The victim's family and residents have sought the presence of the District Collector. He has come and assured that required support and assistance will be given to the family of the victim," the ACP said. "The situation in the locality is normal now. The postmortem is being conducted and further investigation will be carried out based on the report," he added