Andhra: Four incidents of sexual assault come to light

Even as the nation mourns the death of Delhi gang-rape victim, four incidents of sexual assault, including two involving policemen, were reported in Andhra Pradesh. Among the victims are two minor girls.

Police in Krishna district of coastal Andhra region booked a constable, D. Venkat Rao, on charges of raping a woman.

A woman, deserted by her husband, said the policeman raped her after befriending her when she lodged a complaint against her family.
The incident took place a month ago, but only came to light Saturday after the woman lodged a complaint.
A police officer said investigations have been launched into the complaint.

In another incident in the same district, a village revenue officer (VRO) was booked on charges of raping  a woman. The complainant alleged that Boyina Pandu raped the woman after offering her a soft drink laced with sedatives.

The VRO had engaged the 30-year-old woman, a mother of two, to assist him four months ago. The woman, in her complaint lodged with the police Saturday, alleged that one day he offered her a soft drink, after consuming which she fell unconscious.

The VRO allegedly took pictures of her in the nude on his mobile phone and committed the crime.
Later, threatening to make the obscene pictures public, he forced her to continue having sex with him.

A police officer said the case was being investigated.

In the third incident that took place in Nalgonda district, a constable was arrested for trying to exually assault a minor girl. The girl was rescued by passers-by who heard her cries.
The passers-by also caught the constable and handed him over to the police.

In yet another incident in Prakasam district, a six-year-old girl was sexually assaulted by a man. The girl's family Sunday lodged a complaint with police in Markapuram that a 40-year-old man lured her with money and committed the crime.

The attacker is untraceable and on the run, police said.
Police have sent the girl to a hospital for medical examination.

Only last week, Andhra Pradesh Director General of Police V. Dinesh Reddy said that rape cases in the state came down from 1,291 in 2011 to 1,191 in 2012. The police chief had claimed that more vigilant policing had caused the crime graph to dip. 

- IANS