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Andhra Pradesh horror: 7-year-old girl killed, body stuffed in drum; neighbour held
Preliminary investigation suggests that the accused had kidnapped the girl and murdered her inside the house on Sunday night itself.
Police in Madanapalle town of Andhra Pradesh’s Annamayya district arrested a 27-year-old man on Tuesday for allegedly kidnapping and killing a seven-year-old girl from the neighbourhood.
According to Madanapalle town police inspector Mohammad Rafi, the girl was playing outside her house on Sunday evening when she suddenly went missing, triggering panic among family members and residents in the neighbourhood. After searching extensively in nearby areas and failing to trace the child, the family approached the police on Monday morning and lodged a missing complaint.
Superintendent of police Dheeraj Kanubilli and DSP Mahendra immediately constituted a special team led by Mohammad Rafi and launched a coordinated search operation
“We extensively examined a network of CCTV cameras installed across Madanapalle town. During analysis of the footage, we found that a 27-year-old man residing opposite the victim’s house had allegedly lured the child into his residence. Based on this lead, we went to the suspect’s house on Tuesday morning,” the inspector told local reporters.
During the inspection of the house, officers discovered the minor’s body concealed inside a drum meant for storing water. “We immediately took the accused, who was present at the residence, into custody and are questioning him,” Rafi said.
Preliminary investigation suggests that the accused had kidnapped the girl, murdered her inside the house on Sunday night itself and hidden the body in the drum. “We are suspecting that the girl might have been subject to sexual assault before being murdered, but it can be confirmed only after post-mortem and forensic examination,” the inspector said.
However, locals and family members of the girl prevented the police from shifting the body to the local government hospital for autopsy and demonstrated on the Madanapalle highway, demanding that the accused be awarded stringent punishment.
The police later shifted the accused to the station and deployed heavy security in the area to prevent any law-and-order issues.
Another police official, who refused to be quoted, said there were also allegations that the accused had previously behaved inappropriately with local women. “We are exploring all possible angles, including sexual assault, and further details will be revealed as the investigation progresses,” he added.
