85-yr-old Hyderabad school guard ‘raped’ minors after luring them with toffees

According to police, the incident came to light after the victims’ parents found Rs 100 notes and asked their daughters about it

Police in Hyderabad arrested an 85-year-old school watchman for allegedly raping two underage girls and molesting four others after luring them with cash, toffees and chocolates, police said.

The suspect was arrested by a squad focussed on crimes against women, an issue that has taken centrestage since the December 16, 2012 gangrape of a woman in Delhi who eventually succumbed to her injuries. (AFP/Getty Images)

Nanisetty Satyanarayana Rao worked as a watchman part-time at the Zila Parishad high school in Kapra, on Hyderabad’s outskirts. Rao lives alone and had retired as worker in the Railways.

The alleged attacks took place over six months.

“When the parents of the victims found some Rs 100 notes in the books of the girls and questioned them, they explained everything. Based on the complaints lodged by the parents, we arrested Rao and sent the two to hospital for medical tests,” Rachakonda police commissioner Mahesh Bhagawat said.

The case renews concerns over the safety of children in schools, a problem that has been talked about recently since the murder of an eight-year-old boy in Gurgaon.

“His wife died last year and his four children – two daughters and two sons are also staying separately. Since then, he has been staying alone at his house,” the police said.

The police registered three cases against Rao under charges of rape, the SC/ST Atrocities (prevention) Act and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.