A 55-year-old rickshaw puller lured a nine-year-old class II girl to his home and raped her on Wednesday evening at Dachepally in the Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh.
The incident came to light after the victim's parents, both labourers, lodged a complaint with the police.
According to the police, the suspect, Annam Subbaiah, lured the girl by offering her a chocolate. He then took her on his rickshaw for a free ride, promising that he would take her to her grandmother’s place. He then sexually assaulted her and dropped her back home.
The girl, who was profusely bleeding, complained of severe abdominal pain after her parents returned home from work. They took her to a local hospital where doctors said that she had been raped and is in a critical condition. They then rushed her to the Sarvajana Hospital in Guntur. The news of the incident spread like wildfire.
Locals staged a protest on the Addanki-Narketpally state highway, bringing traffic to a halt for nearly 15 km. The protesters wanted the authorities to hand them over the suspect.
Few angry protesters demolished the shed where Subbaiah lives, complaining that the police failed to arrest the culprit. A bandh was observed in Dachepally.
Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has instructed ministers from Guntur district and Women’s Commission chairperson Nannapaneni Rajakumari to rush to Dachepally and assure that the culprit is arrested and booked under Pocso Act.
The Centre last week promulgated an ordinance to punish child rapists with death penalty. Men who rape children below 12 years would be dealt with strictly under the amended Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act.
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