How one phone call saved a child from abuse in Hyderabad

Ajay, a sexual predator offered to drop Kavitha and her brother home, but he fled from the spot with the girl and touched her inappropriately while riding the bike
How one phone call saved a child from abuse in Hyderabad

HYDERABAD: What is the answer to ever-increasing violent and sexual crimes in the city? It’s community vigil, proves the story of this socially aware denizen who saved a toddler from a sexual predator. Kavitha (6) and her brother Rajesh (9) (names changed) were returning home when they were approached by a man, Gubdukandula Ajay (22), who offered to drop them home on his bike.  

Ajay, who was allegedly drunk at the time of the incident, picked up the children near the Telangana Grameena Bank in bank colony but did not drop them home. Instead, he took a detour and dropped Rajesh near Kanaka Durga temple, which is over two km away from the school and fled from the spot with the girl.

The boy, with the help of local public, managed to rush home and alert his father T Uppalaiah, who lodged a police complaint. Cops, shared the girl’s photo with stations across the city and were hunting for her when a phone call came at around 6.30 pm from one Tumma Mallesh of Cherlapally. He called the control room to inform that he had seen a girl, crying incessantly, being taken on a bike.
Mallesh had stopped Ajay and enquired why the girl was crying, but he was not satisfied with his answer. Meanwhile, the patrolling team rushed to the spot and found Kavitha with Ajay. He was immediately taken into custody for questioning while the girl’s parents were intimated.

“During questioning, he confessed to having kidnapped the girl to fulfil his sexual desire.  The girl also told her parents that Ajay had touched her inappropriately while riding on the bike. Scared, the girl started crying,”  said Rachakonda police commissioner Mahesh Bhagwat. “He had taken the girl to his relative’s house. When enquired, he lied to them that she was his friend’s daughter and he was dropping her home,” he added.  Kavitha’s schoolbag was recovered from roadside near Chilkanagar based on Ajay’s confession. She was sent for a medical examination and will undergo counselling to overcome the traumatic experience.  Ajay, who works as a ready-mix vehicle operator, has been booked under sections of POCSO Act. If Mallesh had not intervened, a father’s search would have ended in a heartbreaking tragedy.

Cops take custody of ‘fraud pimp’
Cyber Crime police arrested former junior college principal Ch Ganesh for posting pictures of Tollywood actresses on porn sites. The investigation officer is now planning to file a petition seeking police custody of the accused to question him in connection with the offence. “The accused had collected more than `10 lakh from public on pretext of providing call girls. He posted pics of actors on his website and circulated the link through mail. Those who saw the link and contacted him were lured and made to pay money. Later, he would switch off his mobile phone,” said Addl DCP, Cyber Crime, KCS Raguveer.

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