A man has been arrested in Andhra Pradesh’s YSR Kadapa district for the alleged rape and murder of a three-year-old Dalit girl. The tragic incident reportedly occurred while the child was attending a relative’s wedding with her parents in a village. Angry villagers demolished the house of a rape accused named D Rahmatullah on May 24 in the Kadapa district.
According to reports, on the day of the incident, Rahmatullah was attending a wedding when he allegedly lured the minor girl to a secluded spot behind the Kalyana Mandapam in Kambaladinne village. He raped the child before brutally smothering her to death. The villagers then caught Rahamatulla and handed him over to the police.
The incident triggered widespread outrage among the villagers, who declared that the accused had no right to remain in the community. In response, they demolished his house in his native village of Moragudi. On May 24, villagers also staged protests outside the Jammalamadugu government hospital, demanding the death penalty for the accused.
Kadapa District Collector Dr Sridhar Cherukuri and SP EG Ashok Kumar met with the victim’s family to offer their support and assured them of all possible assistance. The District Collector also announced financial aid of Rs 5 lakh, the allotment of a residential plot, and a government job for the victim’s family.
Additional Superintendent of Police Prakash Babu confirmed that the minor Dalit girl was raped and murdered by Rahmatullah, who has since been arrested. A case has been filed under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act as well as the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
