The police in Hyderabad on Saturday said that they had arrested a man for allegedly raping his nine-year-old niece.
The incident is said to have taken place on Friday when the survivor was alone at her home. According to the Madhapur police, which has since arrested the 25-year-old man, the accused sexually assaulted the girl after her mother, who works as a domestic help, had left for work. The accused is the girl's maternal uncle.
When her mother returned, she questioned the survivor about bloodstains on her clothes, following which she learnt about the incident.
Speaking to the Times of India, Madhapur Inspector Venkat Reddy said, the girl had changed the dress (that she wore at the time of the crime). “The mother, who saw this when she returned, also noticed the bloodstains on it. But when she enquired with the child, the latter dismissed it by saying that nothing had happened. However, the mother was suspicious and upon further enquiry, the girl disclosed that the accused had sexually assaulted her," he said.
The police said that the accused allegedly told the survivor to not disclose what had happened, and even offered her money after committing the crime.
Based on a complaint by the mother, the police registered a rape case under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
The survivor was given medical treatment while the accused was sent to judicial custody, the police said.
Telangana and Hyderabad have been witnessing a spate of violent crimes against minors and women in the state recently.
Earlier this year, the rape and murder of a 9-month-old girl in Hanamkonda in the state's Warangal district had sent shockwaves across the town, and triggered massive protests by the public.
Last month, a court awarded the death penalty to the accused in the case, after a speedy trial, which concluded in less than two months.
Despite this, the State Commission for the Protection of Child Rights (SCPCR) has been defunct for close to two years. The state has also not had a Chairperson of the State Women's Commission for over a year.