On Saturday (February 26), a 15-year-old victim, who is a class 8 student, told her parents she was raped by the ruling TRS leader Sheikh Sajid Khan in January in Hyderabad.
Telangana Police, on Monday (February 28), launched a manhunt for TRS leader Sheikh Sajid Khan, who has been absconding since a 15-year-old girl accused him of rape.
The victim, who is a class 8 student, told her parents on Saturday (February 28) that the TRS leader Sheikh Sajid Khan, who is vice-chairman of Nirmal municipality, raped her in Hyderabad in January this year.
“We have registered a case under Section 376 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and relevant sections of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act on Sunday. The accused has been missing since then. We have formed four special teams to search for him and we shall arrest him at the earliest,” Hindustan Times quoted Nirmal Deputy Superintendent of Police (DySP) D Upender Reddy.
Khan had spotted the victim in a school function in January this year and had started planning the crime since then. He hired one lady, Annapurna, and made her rent a place near the victim’s house.
After developing a bond with the victim’s family, Annapurna took the victim to Hyderabad in January on the pretext of a family function. Once in Hyderabad, she took the victim to a hotel where Khan raped her.
On Saturday (February 28), the victim told the police about the rape. “Instead of taking the victim to the function, the woman took the girl to a hotel in the old city, where Khan raped her. Later, the girl was taken to different places in the city, where she was repeatedly assaulted sexually,” Reddy said, quoting the victim.
Upon return, Annapurna had threatened the victim not to reveal the matter to anybody. She had also said that if she revealed the incident to anybody, she and her family would be harmed. The victim got scared and remained silent.
The TRS leadership expelled Khan from the primary membership of the party on Monday (February 28). The news of sexual assault provoked sharp reactions in the Nirmal town and Telangana. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders protested in front of the Nirmal Municipality and demanded swift justice for the victim.
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