9-yr-old allegedly sexually assaulted in Andhra, cops begin probe

The girl was also allegedly hit with a stone by the accused when she started to scream.

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A shocking incident of child sexual abuse has come into light from Andhra Pradesh's Kurnool district, as a 9-year-old girl was allegedly raped by an unidentified man who hit her with a stone when she resisted. While the incident took place late on Friday, it came to light on Sunday.

The minor is a Class 4 student and the police said that the incident took place when she went out to relieve herself. Officials suspect that the accused may have lured the girl to an isolated spot near a godown, where no one was around, by offering her something.

Speaking to TNM, Yemmiganur Town Inspector Sreedhar Raju said, "The girl seems to have gone to attend nature’s call when the accused committed the crime. As she screamed, he hit her with a stone to silence her. She has received 14 stitches on her head due to the injury."

"By the time her parents searched for her and found her, she was lying in a pool of blood and the accused had fled from the scene,” he added.

The police said that they were carrying out the investigation swiftly and CCTV footage and movements of strangers in the locality is being examined.

A case has been registered under Section 307 (attempt to murder) of the IPC and Section 4 of the POCSO act (Punishment for aggravated sexual assault).

"Once the girl is able to give a statement, we will consider it accordingly and include more charges,” the Inspector said.

This is the latest in a series of heinous crimes against women and children to be reported from the Telugu states.

In the last week of September, the Hyderabad city police had arrested a 25-year-old man for allegedly raping his nine-year-old niece.

In August, a local court in Warangal awarded the death penalty to a man who was accused of raping and killing a 9-month-old girl child, after a speedy trial. The incident, which had taken place in Hanamkonda town, had triggered massive protests across the state, demanding strict action against the accused.

Read: Child rape accused given death penalty by Warangal court, trial ends in less than 2 months