Teen girls who escaped from shelter home raped in Jangaon

Based on the girls' statements, the Saidabad police altered the sections of the case under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and arrested the suspects.

Hyderabad: Two teen girls who escaped from a rehabilitation centre run by a private organisation at IS Sadan in Saidabad last month, were allegedly raped by five young men in separate instances in Jangaon.

As per available information, one of the girls from Jangaon, had been residing at the shelter for the past three months and the other one who belonged to Hyderabad, had arrived in September. Both girls aged 14 and 15 years who are learned to have run away from their homes, were lodged in the shelter and soon became friends.

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According to the police, for reasons unknown, the duo disliked staying in the shelter home and escaped through a window on September 24.

Based on the complaint from the shelter home authorities, the Saidabad police booked a missing case and took up investigation and special teams started searching for them.

Meanwhile, the girls reached Jangaon the same night, where one of the girl was raped by Nagaraju, who is known to her, promising shelter. Another youth, Sai Deep noticed the second girl alone near the bus stop and lured her with eatables and promising shelter took her to a bakery, where he and Raju, the bakery owner raped her. Later, both the girls were dropped by the suspects at the bus stand.

Police sources said the next day, Sai Deep along with his friends Akhil and Rohith met the girls at the bus stand and convinced them to come with them to Hyderabad, offering help. Instead, they drove the girls to different locations and sexually assaulted them before leaving them back at the bus stand.

Eventually, the police found the girls at the bus stand and returned them to the rehabilitation centre. However, they did not open up with the authorities and staff initially but revealed about the sexual assaults during counseling sessions at Bharosa Centre.

Based on the girls’ statements, the Saidabad police altered the sections of the case under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and arrested the suspects.