Man, held for raping, killing minor in Telangana: Police
A 35-year-old truck driver was arrested for allegedly raping and killing a six-year-old girl in Telangana’s Peddapalli district on early Friday, police said
Hyderabad
A 35-year-old truck driver was arrested for allegedly raping and killing a six-year-old girl in Telangana’s Peddapalli district on early Friday, police said.
The incident took place at Sultanabad town in the district. “The accused, Balaram, belonging to Madhya Pradesh and working at the Maitha rice mills as a truck driver, was arrested,” Ramagundam police commissioner M Sreenivasulu told reporters.
A case was filed under section 302 (murder) and section 376AB (rape of a minor girl below 12 years) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), besides relevant sections of the protection of children from sexual offences (Pocso) Act, he said.
The victim was the eldest of two daughters of a couple, who migrated to Sultanabad from Asifabad in Mancherial district to work at a rice mill.
According to Sreenivasulu, the accused took the minor girl, who was sleeping beside her mother at a camp within the compound of the adjacent rice mill and carried her to a secluded place behind the mill. “He raped her and when the girl raised an alarm, he strangled her neck and killed her,” he said.
When the girl’s mother woke up after some time, she found her daughter missing. She alerted her fellow labourers and they began searching for the girl. After some time, they found the girl’s body in the bushes.
“They noticed Balaram who was moving in the area suspiciously and caught hold of him. They thrashed him before handing him over to Sultanabad police, who formally arrested him and registered the case,” the police commissioner said.
A video clip obtained from CCTV cameras installed in the rice mill premises showed Balram carrying the minor on his shoulder and walking in a near pitch-dark area, where the girl’s body was found.
“The body of the victim has been sent to a government hospital for post-mortem examination. Further investigation is on,” the commissioner said, adding that the accused would be produced before the local court for judicial remand.