Andhra: 7-year-old raped, murdered; accused found dead in lake

Amaravati: The body of a seven-year-old girl was found in a drum on Tuesday, February 17, after she was allegedly raped and murdered by her neighbour in Madanapalle. The accused was found dead in a lake the next day after he escaped from police custody.

The child, the daughter of a local handloom worker, had gone missing on Monday while she was playing near her house.

The parents, who were away at work, started looking for her when they did not find her on their return in the evening. As she could not be traced, they lodged a complaint with the police.

Police, noting that the neighbour Kulavardhan had a criminal record, approached his house on the same day of the complaint, but returned when they when there was no response to the door-knock. A cop had also peeped through the window to find Kulavardhan asleep.

However, the next morning, when the victim’s grandfather told police that she was last seen with Kulavardhan, police entered the house and found the girl’s body in the drum.

Police apprehended Kulvardhan and were shifting him to a police station when he escaped, District Superintendent of Police K Dheeraj told media persons. Kulvardhan was found dead in a lake in Kanasanipalli village, Kuralabalakota mandal, on Wednesday.

The body was shifted to the government hospital in Madanapalle town for post-mortem examination. Police said the preliminary investigation shows that the accused died of suicide.

The rape and murder of the child triggered outrage, with locals demanding justice for the victim. Demanding stringent action against the accused, locals staged a sit-in on the National Highway, bringing vehicular traffic to a grinding halt for several hours.

Madanapalle MLA Shahjahan Basha expressed deep anguish over the incident. The MLA spoke to the victim’s parents over the phone, and assured them of full support from the government.

Deputy Inspector General of Police Koya Praveen said the post-mortem examination and preliminary investigation revealed that the accused raped the girl and then drowned her in a water drum.

Police had booked the accused on the charges of rape, murder and the POCSO

The accused had a previous case under Section 324, which was settled through a Lok Adalat compromise. Locals said he frequently consumed alcohol and behaved indecently with everyone.

(With inputs from IANS.)