Eight-year-old girl raped and killed in Tirupati village

TIRUPATI: In another case of crime against children, an eight-year-old girl was allegedly raped and murdered in Nelaballi village in Doravarisatram mandal of Tirupati district on Wednesday.

After the girl disappeared in the morning, her parents searched for her all day. Cowherds found the body in a forest on the outskirts of the village and alerted the police.

The girl was the daughter of a migrant worker from Darbhanga district of Bihar. The suspect also hails from the same state. He reportedly lured the child with biscuits before committing the heinous crime. Police have reportedly taken the accused into custody.

According to L Subbarayudu, SP of Tirupati district, two months ago nearly 40 people from Bihar had come to work at the Dhanyalakshmi rice mill near Nelaballi village. Among them was a cook who had brought his eight-year-old daughter.

The suspect, also from Bihar, deceived the child by offering her biscuits. He took her to the nearby forest area where he allegedly raped and murdered her. Police shifted the body to the government hospital in Naidupeta for postmortem.

The police have registered the case and launched an investigation. “We will ensure that the culprit is punished according to the law. We will pursue the case in a fast-track court to prevent such incidents from recurring in future,” the SP said.