HYDERABAD: Minor girls continue to become victims of sexual violence. In a fourth such incident in the city in a span of three days, a sexagenarian allegedly attempted to sexually abuse a seven-year-old neighbour at Jawaharnagar in Rachakonda police commissionerate limits on Saturday.
Neighbours who noticed Venkatayya attempting to molest the girl roughed him up and later handed him over to the police.
Incidents of sexual assault and sexual abuse of minors have been reported from Ramanthapur, Jagathgirigutta, Neredmet and Alwal since Thursday.
According to police, the girl, a class 2 student, stays at her grandmother’s place, along with her mother. The family got separated from the girl’s father more than four years ago and since then have been living in Jawaharnagar.
The girl’s mother works in a garments’ store in Secunderabad.
On Saturday evening, the girl was alone in the house, when the accused took her to the terrace of his house.
Her grandparents were away from home and her mother was at work. After taking the girl upstairs, he tried to sexually assault her.
Residents of the opposite building, who noticed this, raised an alarm. The neighbours rushed to the building, dragged Venkatayya down, tied him to an electric pole and thrashed him.
Venkatayya pleaded not guilty, but the residents beat him black and blue. He was later handed over to police.
Police booked Venkatayya under various sections of the IPC and also POCSO Act, and he was detained for questioning.