‘My heart aches at this heinous crime in Vizag’, Former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu condemned the Vizag gang rape incident in which a 16-year-old girl was allegedly gang-raped by eight men in the port city.
He lamented the utter law and order failure in the YS Jagan Mohan Reddy-led Andhra Pradesh while emphasizing the distressing reality faced by the daughters and sisters of the state.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Naidu wrote, “My head hangs in shame. Criminals continue to hurt our daughters and sisters without fearing the law because they know there is no law and order in a YSRCP-ruled Andhra Pradesh. Forget women empowerment, YS Jagan’s vision seems to only empower criminals who prey on women.”
A Jharkhand-based migrant labourer took the girl to a room where she was raped under the pretext of celebrating her birthday on December 17, 2023, said Visakhapatnam Zone-1 Deputy Commissioner of Police K Srinivas Rao, adding that he brought his friend who also sexually assaulted the girl, PTI reported.
The official said the victim went to RK Beach in the port city to end her life. However, a local man who ekes out a living taking photographs of tourists entered into a conversation with her.
He then took her to a lodge and sexually assaulted her. Later, she was taken to another room, where eight to nine of the photographer’s friends raped her, the cop said.
The girl managed to escape from their (photographer and friends) clutches and left the city. Following a missing complaint lodged by the girl’s parents, she was found in Odisha and was brought back to the city here on December 25.
Police said that the girl was raped by the photographer and his friends on December 20, 21 and 22. They are also probing whether she was sexually assaulted on December 18 and 19.
Rao said police altered the missing case into a rape (IPC Section 376) and added the Protection of Children from Sexual Offence Act (POCSO).
Police on Monday said eleven men were arrested for allegedly raping a minor girl hailing from Odisha on different occasions in Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh. A case has been registered under the POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) Act.
(With inputs from agencies)
