Police search for missing minor suspected kidnapped by POCSO accused in Malakpet

A 17-year-old girl who recently alleged she was raped has gone missing from her aunt's apartment in Malakpet, Hyderabad, in the early hours of Tuesday. The Malakpet police suspect that the teenager was kidnapped by a 24-year-old man who is already the accused in a Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) case registered against him.

The incident occurred around 2:30 AM on Tuesday. According to the police, the minor girl allegedly locked her 24-year-old aunt inside their flat before leaving the apartment building.

The girl's aunt approached the Malakpet police on Tuesday morning to report the disappearance. In her statement, the aunt explained that she realized she had been latched inside the flat from the outside. She had to seek the help of the apartment's watchman to get out of the home.

Once freed, the aunt searched the immediate neighborhood for the teenager. When she failed to trace the girl, she informed other family members and subsequently approached the local police station to file an official complaint.

Based on the aunt's complaint, the Malakpet police registered a kidnapping case under Section 137(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. The police have launched a search operation to locate the missing minor.

In the complaint, the family alleged that they suspect the involvement of the 24-year-old man. The accused is a resident of Addagudur, located in the Yadadri Bhuvanagiri district, and is a neighbor of the girl's grandmother's family.

Prior to her disappearance, the minor girl, who studies at a junior college in Hyderabad and stays with her aunt, had spoken to officials at the Bharosa Centre. She had alleged that she was raped by the 24-year-old man, which led to the initial POCSO case being registered against him. Police suspect that the accused picked up the girl after she left the apartment.