The Veerulapadu police under the NTR District Commissionerate have arrested four persons, including a minor girl, on charges of kidnapping and sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl.
The victim, a native of Veerulapadu mandal and a Class 5 dropout, is an agricultural worker.
As per the police, the accused minor girl had befriended the victim, and later promised to perform her marriage with a good person. She reportedly showed the victim some photographs in her mobile phone. After the victim agreed to the marriage, the accused girl allegedly alerted a youth by name Ch. Yugandhar.
On July 12, Yugandhar, along with his friends Sk. Madar Saheb and D. Nageswara Rao, came to Veerulapadu and took the victim to his house at Mudigonda village of Khammam district in Telangana, by promising to marry her. Later, Yugandhar allegedly sexually assaulted her.
In the meantime, the parents of the victim, after searching for her for a day, lodged a complaint with the Veerulapadu police.
Following the complaint, the police registered a case and formed special teams to trace the girl, said Nandigama Assistant Commissioner of Police K. Janardhan Naidu.
The police team led by Veerulapadu SI Gandham Lakshamanudu traced the girl and the accused minor girl at the Kodad bus station on July 18 (Tuesday), and rescued the victim.
POCSO Act invoked
The police team also arrested the accused youth, and booked them on charges of kidnap and rape. The POCSO Act was also invoked against them, Mr. Lakshmanudu said.
The victim was sent to the Government General Hospital in Vijayawada for medical examination on July 19 (Wednesday).
“The accused youth have been produced in court. The accused minor girl has been sent to the Observation Home for Girls in Visakhapatnam,” the ACP said.
