HYDERABAD: A 19-year-old boy has been arrested by Chilkalguda police for allegedly sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl. The victim, hailing from Jaggayyapeta, Andhra Pradesh, was residing at her uncle’s house in Chikkadpally.
Police said she had sent substantial sums of money and gold kept at her uncle’s residence to Cheppali Vijay Kumar Reddy (19) from Bengaluru, whom she befriended through Instagram. Police have booked Vijay under the POCSO act and also registered an attention diversion case against him.
The case came to light on April 2 when the girl’s uncle reported a theft. He had left Rs 3,000 in a shirt pocket before leaving for work, and upon returning home, he discovered the cash missing. He then found out that gold ornaments and additional cash were also missing. He grew suspicious of his niece and the girl then told him that she had sent the money to Vijay, according to police.
Police said that Vijay had been in contact with the victim since August 2023, gaining her trust and affection before coercing her into giving him approximately 16 tolas of gold ornaments and around Rs 1,50,000 through PhonePe transactions. He allegedly told her that his parents were not well and that he needed money to help them.
Vijay was addicted to liquor, cigarettes and online betting, the police said. They alleged that he befriended girls on Snapchat and Instagram, lured them into romantic relationships and then manipulated them into parting with valuables.