Neighbour rapes 5-yr-old

A five-year-old girl in the city fell prey to sexual abuse by an ‘uncle’. The victim, a resident of Mohabbatnagar of Maheshwaram, was assaulted by her 30-year-old neighbour Md. Hassan, when she went to his house. The police arrested Hassan, and for the first time in the city, a case under the new anti-rape Act was booked.

Though the incident occurred on Monday evening, it came to light on Tuesday when the girl’s parents lodged a complaint.

The girl used to frequently visit Hassan’s house, when his wife was there. On Monday too, she went to his house as usual at around 5 pm. “His wife had gone to her village in Mahbubnagar, and he was alone in the house,” Maheswaram police inspector M. Gangadhar said.

On Monday night, when the girl came back to her house, she looked pale and disturbed. “When she went to urinate, she complained of discomfort. After we repeatedly asked her, she told us of the incident,” the girl’s mother told police.

Hassan, a labourer in a tea factory at Maheswaram, was friendly with the girl’s family. “She used to call him uncle,” the inspector said.

Police sent the girl for medical examination and admitted her to the hospital. Her condition is stable.

“We have booked a case under the Criminal Amendment Act 2013 as well as Section 375, and 376 (for rape),” the inspector said.