On Thursday (5 January 2023), the Warangal Police picked up Azmad Ali (22) and Abu (27) from the city on charges of raping a 15-year-old girl repeatedly over the last six months. Both have been booked for rape and under sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
As per report by Times of India, the issue became communally sensitive as the survivor belongs to the Hindu community.
According to the police, Abu, one of the accused working in a second-hand furniture store, lured the victim girl to his house on the pretext of befriending her and started raping her continuously. He continued to exploit the minor girl repeatedly on various occasions. When his 22-year-old brother Azmad Ali found out about the rape, he too started raping her.
According to a report by Velugu Daily, this gruesome incident came to light when the girl told her family about the sexual assault after which they complained to the Mills Colony area police station four days ago. The angered victim’s family members attacked the houses and vehicles of the accused on Thursday, citing no police action on accused. As this news came into limelight, about 50 BJP activists stormed into the house of the accused and damaged the property. A local BJP activist, Kusuma Satish, claimed that the accused threatened to circulate the girl’s photos on social media and even kill her father if she told anybody about the assault.
Warangal ACP K Giri Kumar said that police had identified the accused personal, and they were picked up for investigation. The minor girl was sent for a medical examination.
Local BJP leaders accused the police of not acting immediately, but Warangal commissioner AV Ranganath denied the claim. “We received a complaint on Wednesday night, and a case was registered during the early hours of Thursday. There was no delay,” he said.
(With inputs from Nijam Today)
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