Man gets 25 years' RI for sexually assaulting minor girl who later died in Hyderabad's Mangalhat

HYDERABAD: The post-mortem examination of a five-year-old Dalit girl who died under suspicious circumstances at Mangalhat in 2022 revealed that she was raped two days before her death. Further investigation revealed that her mother's live-in partner was the perpetrator.He raped and sexually assaulted the girl on multiple occasions when her mother left her in his car. The PME report revealed injuries on the girl's body in her private parts, indicating that she was sexually assaulted.The girl reported the matter to her mother, but the accused denied it. Subsequently, the girl complained of severe stomach pain and died while undergoing treatment. A city court that conducted the trial in the case sentenced the accused, a carpenter, to rigorous imprisonment for 25 years on each of two counts.According to police, the girl's mother separated from her husband due to disputes. Later, she was acquainted with the accused and started living with him along with her daughter. Whenever she went to work, she left the girl in the care of the accused.One day, the girl complained of severe pain and, upon inquiry, informed her mother that the accused sexually assaulted her. As the accused denied the sexual assault, the woman moved the girl to her mother's house, where she fell sick and died while undergoing treatment.Based on the PME report and other evidence, XII additional metropolitan sessions judge, Nampally, T Anitha, pronounced him guilty of the crime and sentenced him, said additional public prosecutor A Ram Reddy. (The victim's identity has not been revealed to protect her privacy as per Supreme Court directives on cases related to sexual assault)