A seven-year-old girl was allegedly molested by a 28-year-old man at Tummakota in Rentachintala mandal late on Tuesday night. The accused, Miriyala Jayaraj, was taken into custody and being questioned by the police.
Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, who took a serious view of the incident, instructed the Collector and the SP to take stringent action against the accused. The Chief Minister also announced an ex gratia of ₹5 lakh to the family of the girl.
Eye witnesses told the police that the girl went out to attend nature’s call when the man, who was in an inebriated condition, was passing on the road. He took away the girl to an isolated place and allegedly molested her. The girl was later left at the same place where she was picked up.
The girl was taken to a local health centre. Later, she was shifted to GGH, Guntur, where she is being given treatment.
Sit-in staged
People in large numbers gathered at Palavai junction in Macherla and staged a sit-in. Police had a tough time in dispersing the crowd.
YSRCP women wing members visited the hospital. Later, AP Mahila Commission Chairperson Nannapaneni Rajakumari visited the hospital and consoled the family members of the girl.
The incident has similarities with the one that took place at Dachepalli in May 2018 when a 60-year-old man, a rickshaw puller, allegedly molested a five-year-old girl. The man later committed suicide.