The Uppal Police with the help of the Kushaiguda Police in Hyderabad on Thursday managed to rescue a 6-year-old girl, within three hours of her being kidnapped. They arrested the accused, who intended to sexually assault her.
The police were able to track the girl thanks to a tip-off by a Good Samaritan.
The accused was identified as 22-year-old Gundikandula Ajay, a ready mix vehicle operator, who hailed from Pothaipally village in Medchal District.
The police said that the accused kidnapped the victim girl from Bank Colony in Uppal, as she was returning home from school, with an intention to sexually assault her.
The minor was returning home with her elder brother by foot, when the accused pulled up beside them on his bike and offered them a lift. He dropped the boy at the Kanaka Durga Temple and sped away with the girl.
Following this, the girl’s father lodged a complaint with the police.
The police said that the accused misbehaved with the victim while they were on the move.
"The girl was scared and was crying when the accused stopped the motor cycle at Cherlapally X Road to buy a water bottle. In the meantime, a passer-by name Tumma Mallesh, a resident of Cherlapally, noticed the victim crying and dialled 100 when he received suspicious answers to his questions," the police said in a press release.
The Rachakonda Control alerted all police stations and a patrol vehicle from the Kushaiguda police rushed to the spot, rescued the victim and took the accused into custody.
Rachakonda Police Commissioner Mahesh M Bhagwat felicitated Tumma Mallesh with a Good Citizen award and also handed out cash rewards to the Kushaiguda patrol team.
The accused has been booked under Section 366 (kidnapping) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Section 8 (assault and criminal force on a child) of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
He has been sent to judicial remand and the police said that further investigation is ongoing.