Hyderabad: Four more rape cases reported amid Jubilee Hills row
While the Telangana Police continues to investigate the alleged high-profile gang-rape of a 17-year-old girl in Hyderabad's Jubilee Hills, four similar incidents have come to light in the city, NDTV reported. Two out of these four crimes took place on May 31, when the Jubilee Hills case was registered as well. The other two cases reportedly occurred in April and early May, respectively.
- These cases follow the teen gang-rape in Jubilee Hills that rocked Hyderabad and has now taken on political overtones, making national headlines.
- Since one of the minors apprehended by police is allegedly the son of a local politician from the Telangana Rashtra Samithi party (TRS), the above-mentioned case has turned into a political battle between the ruling TRS and the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP).
On May 31, an 11-year-old girl, who was staying with a relative in Moghalpura, decided to visit her parents in Pahadishareef. A taxi driver offered her a ride under the pretense of dropping her at Pahadishaeef before driving to Deccan Palace to pick up his friend. According to the police, the duo then went to the driver's friend's house in Rangareddy and raped her.
Meanwhile, the 11-year-old victim's family, who had earlier reported her missing, had contacted the police. Moreover, during the victim's return to her home, a police patrol team found her since she was the same person who was reported missing. The victim then narrated the horrific story to the police. Subsequently, the Moghalpura Police reportedly arrested both the accused two days after the crime.
The second case involves a minor girl who was working at a retail outlet where one Mohd. Sufyan (21) took her home and raped her on May 31. She later complained of stomach pain and the suspect was immediately arrested by the Kala Patthar Police.
On April 22, a minor girl from an orphanage was raped in a car, though the incident was only recently discovered. The 16-year-old girl went to a birthday celebration with the accused, who raped her in the car under the guise of buying cake and talking to her privately. The accused, a 23-year-old photocopier shop employee named Suresh, was subsequently arrested.
At the orphanage where the 16-year-old girl was interrogated by the police, interestingly, a phone was discovered in her possession. She admitted that the accused had given it to her. A case has been filed at the Ramgopalpet Police Station against the accused.
The fourth case involves a girl who claimed she was sexually assaulted inside a movie theater. While both the victim and accused are minors, they knew each other for some time, helping the accused to lure the girl to watch a film. According to reports, the incident occurred about a month ago, and a case was filed at Hyderabad's Rajendra Nagar Circle Police Station.
Jubilee Hills is one of Hyderabad's affluent neighborhoods. The gang-rape reportedly occurred on May 28, while the case was reported to the police on May 31. The accused involved allegedly come from politically connected families. However, DCP (West Zone) Joel Davis clarified that, as per the girl's statement and other evidence, no MLA's son was among the accused. The case is under investigation.
The Telangana Police said that the girl had befriended one of the boys at a pub where she attended a party. The CCTV footage also showed the girl standing outside the pub with the suspected accused, who had offered to drop her home. However, they parked the car in Jubilee Hills and reportedly took turns raping her while others stood guard outside the car.
