KADAPA: A 17-year-old girl was found dead under suspicious circumstances in the forest area behind the Madhavaraya Swamy temple at the popular tourist site of Gandikota in Jammalamadugu mandal of Kadapa on Tuesday.
The deceased, a second-year Intermediate student at Gitam Junior College, had left home on Monday morning saying she was going to college. However, she was allegedly lured away by a youth named Lokesh from Hanumanagutti village in Yerraguntla mandal. He reportedly picked her up on his bike and took her to Gandikota.
According to CCTV footage near the Gandikota toll gate, the two were seen entering the area around 8.10 am. Shockingly, by 5.00 pm the same day, Lokesh was recorded exiting the site alone.
Meanwhile, college authorities informed her parents around 9.00 am that she had not attended classes. With no sign of her by evening, her family filed a missing complaint at Proddutur One Town Police Station.
Following the complaint, police launched a search operation on Tuesday morning under the supervision of DSP Bhavana, with support from clues teams and dog squads.
Around 6:30 am, security personnel discovered a naked female body in the thorny bushes behind the temple. The girl’s identity was confirmed, and her parents rushed to the scene in grief. Her college bag was recovered nearby, raising strong suspicion of sexual assault and murder. Lokesh, who had reportedly been harassing the girl for some time, was taken into custody for interrogation. Police are investigating whether he acted alone or with others. DSP Bhavana confirmed that a missing case had been registered on Monday evening and the body was found the next morning. She said further details would be disclosed after the investigation.
The deceased’s father demanded justice and called for the accused to be killed in an encounter. He even declared he would act himself if authorities failed to do so.
District SP EG Ashok Kumar visited the crime scene and said the body was sent to the Jammalamadugu Government Hospital for postmortem. He assured that a detailed investigation is underway to determine the cause of death.