Telangana: Woman cook lures girl to perform nude puja to get ‘treasure’

The cook was reportedly persuading her for the puja, following which the frightened girl ran away from the hostel to her parents

Peddapalli: A female inmate of the government girls’ hostel in Manthani here was allegedly lured by a woman cook in the hostel to perform a nude puja, reportedly with the promise of finding ‘treasure’.

According to the police, a native of Mancherial, the victim along with her sister was studying in the local government high school and staying in the Government SC girls hostel. Since the girls were hailing from a poor background, hostel cook Mallamma lured one of the girls and promised her a treasure if she performed nude pujas. A week ago, the cook took the girl to her room where a man was waiting. The man made a video call through his mobile phone to another person to ensure the latter would see the girl.

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Both the cook and man were reportedly persuading the girl for the nude puja, following which the frightened girl ran away from the spot and took shelter in her relative’s home in Manthani town for four days. Later, she informed the matter to her parents. Enraged over the incident, parents and relatives visited the hostel on Monday evening and questioned the cook. Knowing about the incident, police visited the hostel and took the cook into custody.

Based on a complaint lodged by the parents, police registered a case under POCSO Act and are investigating