Cops unravel twisted case of deceit; 2 minors rescued

East Godavari district superintendent of police (SP) D. Narsimha Kishore said the accused Maroju Venkatesh is a native of Pedamanapuram village in Dathirajeru mandal, Vizianagaram district.

Venkatesh was nabbed with the help of Railway Police after he was seen in a train near Korukkupet, Kishore said.

The police seized a bag from him which resembled a Railway ticket collectors (TC) bag. It contained empty receipt books, a fake Railway TC identity card, three cell phones and Rs 69,200 in cash.

The accused had targeted the daughters of a woman from Berhampur in Odisha, who had separated from her husband and was residing in Dowleswaram for the past eight years.

She had two daughters aged 15 and 14 and an eight-year-old son.

The accused, along with another 17-year-old girl, rented a portion in the building where the woman and her children were staying. Venkatesh claimed to be a ticket collector and introduced himself to them. Venkatesh said he was transferred to Rajamahendravaram.

Venkatesh maintained good relations with all his neighbours, especially the woman.

Venkatesh would take the woman and her children out to shopping malls, the Godavari Ghats and hotels.

He won the woman's trust and took her to Vijayawada for employment in the Railways. She was kept in a lodge on July 10.

On July 21, he took her son to Vijawayada and told the woman that he would admit her two daughters in a hostel there.

Meanwhile, Venkatesh sent his minor companion to Visakhapatnam, promising her marriage.

When the victim-woman called him, his phone was switched off on July 28. Soon, she found her daughters and the accused were all missing and so she lodged a complaint with Dowleswaram Police. The SP formed four teams to nab the accused.

SP Kishore said each team went to a different place, covering Vijayawada, Guntur, Kurnool, Nellore, Hyderabad and Vizianagaram. They posted the two girls and the accused's photos on social media.

Fearing arrest, Venkatesh changed his location daily, one day in Rajamahendravaram, the next in Nellore and then in Guntur and so on.

Venkatesh told the woman's two girl children that their mother killed their father and was sent to jail for it. He promised to protect the girls.

After hearing Venkatesh, the girls surrendered themselves to him. He took a house on rent in Nellore. He even tied up the two girls on occasions. He withdrew `2 lakhs from the woman’s account, making use of a mobile phone he got from the girls. He used to show different pictures and reels to the girls and impress the girls.

The SP said Dowleswaram Police registered a case against the accused under sections 137(2), 143(5), 144(1), 64(2(m), 65 (1) under Bharat Nyaya Samhita, 2023, and section 5 R/w (6) under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act.

The two girls were sent to Rajamahendravaram Government Hospital for medical check up and the child protection officer was directed to look after the safety and welfare of the two girls.

The accused was produced before the third additional judicial magistrate.

The Investigation was transferred to the women's safety police in-charge DSP K.Venkateswara Rao.