An auto driver has been nabbed for repeatedly raping a 13-year-old girl student while ferrying her from school over the past five months by taking her to isolated places after school hours.
The incident came to light when her family found out that she was pregnant and lodged a complaint against the driver on Wednesday.
The accused has been identified as Vanga Rajesh (37) who lives with his family on the border of Lallaguda and Tukaram Gate. He had been picking up the kids from a school at Marredpally and dropping them home for the past one-and-a-half years and allegedly abused the girl who was the eldest among the children.
It was reported that Rajesh would halt the vehicle at the railway ground and ask the other kids including the victim's five-and-half-year-old brother, to play till he returned. During this period, he would take the girl to an isolated spot and rape her.
He also allegedly threatened to kill her younger brother and parents, if the girl spoke to anyone about the abuse.
“Over the past five months, Rajesh raped the victim about 13 times. The victim became pregnant after the repeated assault. Her mother realised what had been happening after noticing changes in her body,” Lalaguda inspector R Karan Kumar Singh told Times of India.
It was reported that the girl soon complained of fatigue and her mother took her to hospital for a check up, where she discovered that her daughter was pregnant. The 13-year-old then revealed the frequent rape and other horrifying details of sexual assault.
Deccan Chronicle quoted the mother’s complaint which said, “In the beginning he used to hold her hands while she was getting in the auto rickshaw. He talked to her using vulgar language. Then he started taking her to a dilapidated building at the railway quarters after halting the auto rickshaw at the ground, and raping her.”
Rajesh has been book under Section 376 (2) (i) (n) (rape) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Section 3(a) (penetrative sexual assault) read with Section 4 (fine) of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
Police have sent the victim for medical examination, and the culprit has been taken into custody.