Tribal girl found dead in Mahabubabad, kin allege rape

In a shocking incident, a 17-year-old tribal girl was allegedly raped and murdered on the outskirts of Seetharam thanda at Maripeda mandal in Mahabubabad district, on Saturday.

 MAHABUBABAD : In a shocking incident, a 17-year-old tribal girl was allegedly raped and murdered on the outskirts of Seetharam thanda at Maripeda mandal in Mahabubabad district, on Saturday. She was a first year undergraduate student and lived with her parents. According to police, the incident happened when the minor girl stepped out of her house to meet a person named D Rajesh Kumar, a resident of Dharmaram village, whom she was reportedly in a relationship with. Police said that he used to visit Seetharam thanda frequently and thereby got close with the victim.

On Saturday, he took her into an isolated hillock nearby and assaulted her, as a result of which she started bleeding from her private parts. Noticing this, Rajesh Kumar immediately tried to shift the victim to a hospital, but she died midway. 

Petrified by seeing this, the accused dumped her body near a petrol pump by the roadside and fled the scene. Meanwhile, a few villagers noticed the girl’s body and informed the police.On learning about the incident, Mahabubabad Superintendent of Police (SP) Nandhyala Koti Reddy and teams visited the spot and collected evidence. 

Speaking to the media, the SP said that the girl’s parents, who are daily-wage labourers, have refuted the claims that their daughter was in a relationship. Her parents have alleged that the victim was forcibly taken into the hillock, raped and murdered, he said.

“The accused person has already been arrested. We have registered a case against him under various provisions of the law, including the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. The victim’s body has been shifted to Mahabubabad Area Hospital for autopsy,” Koti Reddy addded. Meanwhile, when Express spoke with the bereaved father, he asserted that his daughter was not in a relationship with Rajesh and what happened was abduction.

Satyavathi visits victim’s kin
In the meantime, Tribal Welfare Minister Satyavathi Rathod expressed condolences to the parents of the victim. She visited the girl’s residence and assured her parents that the culprit will be punished as per law. She directed the Collector and SP to ensure a watertight investigation. It may be mentioned here that though major political figures like Satyavathi Rathod, Dornakal MLA Redya Naik, Mahabubabad MLA Shankar Naik and Mahabubabad MP Maloth Kavitha hail from this constituency, crime against tribal children and women have been witnessing a steep rise for quite some time now.

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