Three juvenile boys gang-rape minor girl, push her into Muchumarri canal in Andhra Pradesh

Nandyala: A nine-year-old girl was allegedly gang-raped and pushed into a canal by three minor boys, said a police official on Thursday.

Nandyala district superintendent of police K Raghuveera Reddy said the girl, who was playing in a park on Sunday, was molested by the boys and then pushed into Mucchumarri Lift Irrigation canal to hide their crime.

"The boys molested and pushed her into the canal. It happened on Sunday at around 5 pm. They were all from Mucchumarri village and everybody knew each other," Reddy said.

Two of the accused are 15 years old, while the other one is 12 years old, the official said. She was studying Class III and three boys were school seniors.

Police received a missing complaint from the girl's parents on Sunday, prompting them to launch a search for her but are yet to find her body. They could not trace her.

According to the SP, a National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) team arrived on Thursday to search for the body.

A dog squad was also roped in to find the girl. Clues provided by the tracker dog helped cops zero in on the three minor boys. The dog not only led the police to the crime scene but also stopped at the houses of the accused.

After an initial round of investigation, the suspects were taken into custody. During interrogation, they confessed to the crime.

Reddy said that it cannot be ascertained whether the girl was raped until her body is found.