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Five days after a six-year-old was raped and murdered under the Saidabad police station limits of Hyderabad, the police are yet to nab the accused. The Hyderabad police have formed 15 special teams to trace the 30-year-old accused in the crime. The accused was last seen on CCTV footage taken from the Falaknuma locality. He was wearing a cap, a face mask and was travelling with another person, say reports.
On September 9, the body of the victim was found in the house of the accused. The man is said to have befriended the child by offering her chocolates before committing the offence. The incident led to protests outside the residence of the accused and residents had pelted stones at the house. Denying social media rumours that the accused was already in police custody, the Malakpet Assistant Commissioner of Police Venkata Ramana told TNM he is yet to be caught. The officer assured that the accused will be caught and brought to justice.
The Hyderabad police, in the meantime, questioned a friend of the accused who informed the police that he worked at a construction site. He made a living earning daily wages and was a vagabond, never staying in a place for too long. Though a neighbour to the victim, the accused was not a permanent resident at Saidabad. The accused does not own a mobile phone, which has made tracing him a challenge for the police, reported ToI.
In their efforts to support the family of the 6-year-old girl, several persons ended up revealing her identity, thus violating Supreme Court directives. The Supreme Court in 2018 had barred disclosing the identity of rape victims, even under instances of their death.
The Hyderabad cyber crime police have identified a few social media accounts from where the identity of the victim was disclosed. The Cybercrime police have requested the social media companies to take down these posts.