Kakinada ( Andhra Pradesh), Dec 5 A proclaimed serial burglar accused in multiple theft cases was arrested on Saturday by the East Godavari district police for abducting and raping a 5-year-old girl 10 days ago.
On the intervening night of November 24 and 25, Thadi Prabhu kidnaped the minor girl, took her to a nearby graveyard and committed the offence. Later he dumped her in a naked state on the road and fled.
"Her grandmother noticed the absence of the girl at about 4 a.m. and alerted her husband and son-in-law who were sleeping on the verandah. They raised an alarm and searched in an around the area with the help of the local people," said a police officer.
After sometime, the poor girl was found near a transformer with severe abrasions on her back and bleeding injuries.
The victim's family also realised that the victim's grandfather's cellphone was stolen during the same time.
On being apprised of the crime, officers of Kakinada I town police station booked a case and swung 13 police teams into action, including a dog squad.
Adnan Nayeem Asmi, East Godavari district Superintendent of Police (SP), took up the case and supervised it directly.
During the initial stages of the probe, the girl said that the accused person looked like a local three-year-old boy's father, prompting the police to pick up the man for interrogation. However, his role in the crime was ruled out after a thorough probe.
The police focused on the lost cellphone and collected several material objects from the crime scene and forwarded them to the state forensic science laboratory for examination.
The police also took technical help and verified the CCTV footages at different locations, and a ray of hope emerged in the form of strong suspicion on Prabhu, also known as Chinna.
The police teams then started making enquiries about the suspect at various places. On receiving credible information, a police team led by DSP V. Bheema Rao swooped on Kathipudi in the wee hours of Saturday and arrested Prabhu, 29, a resident of Muthanagar in Kakinada.
"The accused has confessed that he committed the offence. He is a resident of Muthanagar, Kakinada, which is very near to the crime spot," the police said.
On that fateful night, Prabhu drank alcohol with a friend and didn't spare him either. He took advantage of his inebriated condition to steal Rs 7,000 and a cellphone from him. Later, he went to the girl's place and abducted her.
After the crime, he slipped to Jyothula Market in Kakinada and checked into a lodge to stay there for two days and escaped towards Amalapuram without returning the room key to the lodge manager. Prabhu later fled to Hyderabad.
According to the police, Prabhu was involved in 16 theft and burglary cases.
( With inputs from IANS )
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