Dalit Girl Gangraped In Chittoor By Men Posing As Forest Officials; Two Arrested, One On The Run

The three men were identified by the police after a group of people convinced the girl’s parents to lodge a complaint.

Police arrested two men, who posing as forest department officials gangraped a minor girl in Andhra Pradesh’s Chittoor last week, on Tuesday and has launched a manhunt for another.

The incident has led to a political controversy in the state after the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) claimed that the accused are members of the Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP). The YSRCP has claimed instead that the accused are close to the TDP.

The Hindu, which first reported that the accused posed as forest officials in a bid to commit the crime, said in their report that the three men were loan recovery agents. They had first apprehended her and her friend and snatched her gold chain. The newspaper also identified the minor girl as a member of the Dalit community.

Both of them had visited the Nagara Vanam recreation park located near a forest area at Murakambattu locality on the outskirts of Chittoor on September 25.

Chittoor Deputy Superintendent of Police T. Sainath told the newspaper that the Taluk police registered an FIR on September 29 night based on information provided by the girl’s friend.

He added that the victim’s family was initially hesitant to file a complaint, but a special team located them and persuaded them to seek justice.

Sources told News18 that M. Mahesh (21), P. Kishore (31) and J. Hemanth Prasad (27), all residents of Chittoor, were identified by the police. Two of the accused, Kishore and Mahesh, have been taken into custody, while a manhunt is underway to trace the third accused, Hemanth.

The minor girl’s friend was also thrashed by the trio. Responding to claims that the accused may have recorded video footage of the crime, DSP Sainath told the newspaper that the matter is under investigation and the facts will be clarified in due course.

The trio has been booked under the POCSO Act, the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, and other relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Police added that Mahesh and Kishore are married and have children.

Curated By : Shankhyaneel Sarkar

Courtesy : News18

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