HYDERABAD: A 6-year-old girl, who had gone missing amid Holi festivities at a remote village near Alwal, was found to be brutally raped and murdered by a youngster. The accused has been identified as Rajesh Kumar (20).
According to police, Rajesh had targeted the 6-year-old because she was the smallest among the group of children who were celebrating Holi in the neighbourhood.
The victim’s parents are daily-wage labourers who had migrated to the city from Medak district. When the tensed mother found that her daughter hadn’t returned home by evening, he informed her husband of the matter and began searching for the child with their neighbours. A complaint was also lodged at the Alwal police station.
Upon inquiry, the girl’s elder brother revealed that “one uncle with beard took away my sister to the other side of the railway track”. Based on this information, the police conducted another search when they found the girl’s body in the bushes, half-naked with deep cut injuries on her throat and private parts. The police dogs then rushed to the victim’s neighbour’s house.
“The victim’s neighbour had called his brother-in-law and three friends to celebrate Holi. It was found that Rajesh, one of the three friends, was not with them from 3 pm to 4.30 pm. Also, the victim’s brother informed police that the “uncle” was not among those present,” the police said. Rajesh was later nabbed from his room at Bolarum.
The accused, after having noticed the children, had approached the victim’s brother and told him that he would purchase colours for him and lured the children into coming with him. Rajesh then took the girl with him. Though the boy saw him taking her, he assumed that the “uncle” was just going to buy colours for his sister as well.
“Rajesh confessed that when the girl started shouting in pain, he slashed her neck with a metal wire. Even as she bled from the throat and writhed in pain, he raped her multiple times and fled after she died,” DCP Balanagar PV Padmaja said.