In a shocking incident, a minor tribal girl, who was speech and hearing impaired, was allegedly raped by a bus driver in Visakhapatnam.
The incident occurred in the city's Special Economic Zone around three days ago, but came to light on Tuesday after the victim’s brother approached police.
According to Assistant Commissioner of Police (South) J Ram Mohana Rao, the victim was a gardener with a private company in the SEZ in Duvvada. The accused, identified as Chintada Vishwanath, is a native of Srikakulam district but worked in the same company as a bus driver.
The police said that Vishwanath finished his work on the afternoon of December 30, when he found the minor girl working alone and allegedly raped her in the bus after luring her.
He later fled the scene, even as the minor girl was reportedly in shock. The police said that he even tried to bribe the victim, the next day.
"Primary investigation suggests that the accused, along with some other persons, tried to hush up the case by offering a huge amount to the victim the very next day. We are verifying that whether the others are directly involved in the case," the ACP told reporters.
The accused has since been taken into custody.
"Based on a complaint, police has registered a case under relevant sections of Nirbhaya Act, SC/ST Act and POSCO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) Act, and has started an investigation," the ACP said.
This also comes days after a cab driver attempted to rape a woman employee working in the same SEZ.
The Duvvada police said that the woman took the cab after she left work at around 6:30 pm, following which the cab driver took her to a lonely place and attempted to rape her. The woman later complained to the police, who registered a case.