In a horrific incident, a nine-month-old girl child in Telangana was sexually assaulted and murdered late on Tuesday night, allegedly by her neighbour. The incident took place in Hanamkonda in Telangana, and the accused has been identified as 28-year-old Kolepaka Praveen, who has been arrested.

According to the police, the girl was picked up by the accused when she was sleeping with her parents on the terrace of the building where they stayed. When the parents woke up and found her missing, they looked for her and found the accused sexually assaulting the baby. The family thrashed the accused and handed him over to the police, while the child was simultaneously shifted to a private hospital nearby. The baby died in the hospital while undergoing treatment.

Speaking to TNM, Inspector Sampath Rao, who is the investigating officer in the case, said that the accused lives in a rented flat close to the victim’s residence. "The parents alleged that he has picked her up and assaulted her after which they shifted her to a hospital where she died. We are currently awaiting the postmortem report, following which further details will be revealed," he said.

The postmortem is being conducted in Warangal's state-run Mahatma Gandhi Memorial (MGM) Hospital. The police have arrested the accused. A case under relevant sections of IPC and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012 has been registered.

In March this year, a 20-year-old man sexually assaulted a 6-year-old girl in Hyderabad's Alwal area. This had drawn huge protests from residents seeking justice to the victim's family.