Three-year-old girl allegedly sexually abused and murdered by relative in Andhra

A day after the murder and alleged molestation of a three-year-old girl in Andhra Pradesh’s Tirupati district came to light, Home Minister Anitha Vangalapudi visited the child’s family. The suspect, 23-year-old Sushanth, is a relative and neighbor of the child. He was arrested by police shortly after the girl was reported missing by her parents on Friday, November 1. Minister Anitha handed over Rs 10 lakh as ex gratia to the child’s family, who live in AM Puram village of Vadamalapeta mandal.

According to Tirupati Superintendent of Police L Subbarayudu, the child was reported missing by her parents on Friday. When inquired, police were told that she was last seen with Sushanth, who took her away saying he would buy her some snacks. “Because the child was last seen with him, we identified him as a suspect and questioned him. He confessed to killing her and revealed where he had buried her body,” the SP said.

According to the SP, the child’s mother said that Sushanth often played with the child. “He confessed to the crime while in custody. Technical evidence has been collected. This is a heinous act. We will ensure strict punishment of the suspects,” the SP added. Sushanth has been booked under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses (POCSO) Act and other relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

The incident took on political color after opposition YSR Congress Party leader RK Roja criticized the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) government, particularly targeting Prime Minister Chandrababu Naidu, Deputy CM Pawan Kalyan and Home Minister Anitha. were particularly mentioned because of the incident.

Reacting to this, Minister Anitha blamed the previous YSRCP government for the availability of ganja and illicit liquor, which she said led to crimes against women in the state. She alleged that these substances were allowed to become widely available under the YSRCP regime, which had also reportedly weakened the police. Anitha also said that the TDP government would release an updated women safety app called Mahila in place of the previous YSRCP government’s Disha app. She also said that the Naidu government plans to increase the number of CCTV cameras in the state to prevent crimes against women.