Hyderabad: Man abuses minor kin repeatedly

Hyderabad: A 50-year-old man allegedly raped a minor girl related to him for months in LB Nagar. The suspect, M. Venkatesh, a labourer, used to visit the 10-year-old victim, who is his wife's cousin, at her house when her parents were away and sexually assault her. LB Nagar police has started recording the victim’s statement. The incident came to light when child rights activists and Childline officials came to know about it from local sources. Childline officials intervened and rescued the girl and alerted the police seeking a case against the suspect.

“The suspect lives near the victim’s house. He used to either take her to his home or sexually assault her in her house,” said Child Rights activist Achyuth Rao, who rescued the girl. The victim’s father, a disabled person, begs in places of worship nearby and her mother goes out to work as a daily wage labourer. When the victim is alone at home, the suspect used to exploit the situation, child rights activists said.

The victim’s cousin, Mamatha, is the second wife of Venkatesh, who allegedly deserted his first wife. Cops suspect that Mamatha knew that her husband was molesting the girl but was afraid to tell anyone about it. After Childline officials rescued the child, women cops started interacting with the girl to get more details. “The girl seems to be traumatised by the assault. She was not able to speak much. Our women officials are talking to the victim to get details,” said a senior official from LB Nagar police station.