A shocking incident has surfaced in Hyderabad, where an 85-year-old man was arrested by the police after he allegedly raped a class 7 Dalit student in Kushaiguda.
The police said that the accused, identified as a retired railway employee N Satyanarayana Rao, also allegedly raped and sexually assaulted five other girls, all from the same school, over the past year.
According to reports, he would lure the girls with chocolates and sweets, before taking them to his house, where he would rape them, and threaten them to keep quiet. All his victims are said to be 12 years old or younger.
“The minor girl, a class VII student, complained to her parents about the sexual assault by the old man who was living in the neighbourhood. They approached us on Monday night,” Police Inspector N. Venkata Ramana told DC.
Even as parents of one girl approached the police, the rest of the victims also spoke up, during an awareness programme held by the SHE Team under Rachakonda Police Commissionerate, where officials went to various schools and colleges to talk about sexual abuse, and how to report it to the police.
"Our 'She Teams' are creating awareness programs in schools and educating students, especially girls, about good and bad touch. The arrest took place when the incident came to light and our team immediately acted on it," Rachakonda police commissioner Mahesh Bhagwat told CNN News18.
"The victim's family members brought the issue to the notice of SHE Teams about the ordeal faced by the child. During inquiry, it came to light that the culprit had sexually abused six girls, including raping three," Kushaiguda inspector K Chandrasekhar told the Times of India.
Media reports add that the accused's wife had passed away, several years ago.
The police have registered a case under Section 376 (Rape) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and relevant sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
As some of the victims came from marginalised communities, the accused was also booked under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
This also comes days after the Rachakonda SHE Team announced that it had booked 29 cases of eve teasing and apprehended 41 harassers, including four minors, within a span of three weeks.