Pedavegi SI suspended after suicide of eloped girl, her mother

Kakinada: Pedavegi sub-inspector YVV Satyanarayana has been suspended on a charge of dereliction of duty in relation to a case of elopement.

According to sources, a 22-year-old youth K Chittbabu of Kothapalli village in Denduluru mandal of Eluru district and a minor girl left their homes together on September 12. A police complaint was lodged by the girl's parents  from Vegivada of Pedavegi mandal the next day.

The police traced the youth and the girl the same day and counseling was given to both. After this, the girl was handed over to her parents. The police officials later tried to effect a compromise between the two families. However, on September 13, the girl and her mother G Devi attempted suicide by consuming poison. They were admitted to the GH in Eluru and later to a hospital in Vijayawada.

The girl died on Friday and the mother a day later. Kothapalli Murali, a relative of the deceased girl, alleged that though the youth took away the girl, the SI did not reprimand him and avoided registering a case. “Unable to bear the insult, the girl and the mother ended their lives,” he claimed.

He along with the relatives staged a dharna at Pedavegi town centre and demanded that the government take action against the SI and provide financial assistance to the family. The family head, Satyanarayana, was a daily wage labourer and another daughter was studying, Murali explained.

Meanwhile, former Denduluru MLA Chintamaneni Prabhakar met the family members of the deceased and consoled them. He submitted a representation to the Pedavegi police to take action against the accused youth.

Eluru SP Dev Sarma said the SI had not registered a ‘missing’ case against the accused youth, though the family members repeatedly sought the filing of a case. Also, he failed to inform the higher authorities about the case. He said the SI registered a case under POCSO Act only after the girl died in the hospital. After making a preliminary inquiry, DIG Pal Raju suspended SI Satyanarayana from service.