45 Arrested, 33 Convicted In Major POCSO Case

A major case investigated by the Women Safety Wing, CID, Telangana since 2015 concluded with the arrest of 45 persons and conviction of 33 by the special sessions court for Pocso Act cases.

During the course of the operation, 45 accused were arrested, among them 33 convicted, and nine minor girls along with other victims were rescued. Incriminating materials were seized as evidence.

Based on the evidence submitted by investigators, the special sessions judge for POCSO Act pronounced the sentence convicting 33 accused persons. Among the convicts, five have been sentenced to life imprisonment, three to 14 years rigorous imprisonment (RI), 14 to 10 years RI and the remaining 11 to three years RI.

The judgment includes convictions under the Pocso Act, IPC and various provisions of the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, along with compensation to the victims. The Pocso court, apart from pronouncing convictions, ordered compensation to the victims considering the physical and mental trauma suffered. The court directed payment of ₹5,00,000 to nine victim girls, in addition to compensation already received as per law.

The conviction marks the culmination of professional and scientific investigation, sustained prosecution, and coordination between the investigating agency, prosecution and judiciary in a serious case involving human trafficking and sexual exploitation of women and minor girls.

The judgment reinforces the commitment of the Women Safety Wing, CID, Telangana Police, towards bringing perpetrators of crimes against women and children to justice and ensuring protection, rehabilitation and compensation to the victims. After completion of a detailed and scientific investigation, the charge sheet was filed before the Hon’ble Court against the accused persons for the offences established during investigation.

The secretary, DLSA, was directed to take necessary steps for payment of the compensation at the earliest. The fine amount was also directed to be paid to the victims as compensation.

Officers associated with the case included public prosecutor Marella Rama Devi, additional public prosecutor, FTSC, HACA Bhavan, Hyderabad; investigating officers Suresh Babu, DSP, K. Srinivasa Rao, DSP; K. Balram Reddy, court duty officer (CDO); Santi Srinivas Reddy, case monitoring officer (CSO); K. Satyanarayana Reddy; four SHO‑rank officers of CID; and Charu Sinha, Telangana DG‑CID‑WSW.

3 arrested; worth ₹2 lakh seized

The sleuths of the commissioner's task force, Jubilee Hills zone, Hyderabad, along with Banjara Hills police raided “Smokers.in” in Srinagar Colony and arrested three persons and seized `2 lakh worth E-Cigarettes (vapes) and banned foreign cigarettes found selling to needy customers.

Police revealed that the seized items were found in possession of the accused Mohammed Muneer, 26, Abdul Rahman Meehraj, 25, and Mohammed Eyas, 19, natives of Kerala . They had recently come to Hyderabad and started the business under the name “Smokers.in” as they came to know that e-cigarettes and foreign cigarettes were in high demand in Hyderabad. The trio were selling the banned E-Cigarettes ranging between `800 to 2,500, said Gaikwad Vaibhav Raghunath, DCP task force.

25 lost phones recovered, returned to owners

Attapur police using Central Equipment Identity Register (CEIR) traced and recovered 25 stolen/lost mobile phones worth `2 lakh and handed them to their rightful owners on Wednesday.

Station House Officer (SHO) Attapur police A. Seethaiah, called the complainants/owners to the police station and personally handed over the recovered devices after verification.

The owners expressed their delight and expressed sincere gratitude to the Attapur police team for their swift efforts in recovering their lost property.

Speaking on the occasion, Seethaiah said, “If anyone loses their mobile phone or if it gets stolen, they should immediately block and report it through the CEIR portal (ceir.sancharsaathi.gov.in) or report it at the nearest police station. He further urged that blocking the IMEI number on the CEIR portal prevents misuse of the device and significantly assists the police in tracking and recovering the phone promptly.

Man killed in Madipalli over alleged old rivalry

A 39-year-old man was allegedly murdered over an old rivalry at Madipalli village in Thorrur mandal of Mahabubabad district on Wednesday evening.

According to his family members, Guntuka Ramesh was dragged out of his house and attacked in the presence of his wife and children. Family members alleged that the attackers then took Ramesh to an isolated spot near a local lake and assaulted him with sticks and stones. He died on the spot, they said.

The incident reportedly followed a dispute during a fifth-day ceremony held after the death of a villager.

Ramesh is survived by his parents, wife Rajitha and two daughters, Madhumathi and Ushasri.

Police rushed to the spot after receiving information and shifted the body to the area hospital for postmortem.

Thorrur sub-inspector Mahender Reddy said a case had been registered and an investigation was under way. Police are probing the motive behind the murder and trying to identify those involved in the attack.

Man hacked to death over old feud in Madipalli

A 39-year-old man, identified as Guntuka Ramesh, was allegedly murdered at Madipalli village in Thorrur mandal of Mahabubabad district on Wednesday evening, reportedly over an old feud.

According to the victim’s family, the incident followed an altercation that broke out during a ceremony held on the fifth day following the death of a person in a family in the village. The dispute allegedly escalated, eventually resulting in Ramesh’s death.

Family members alleged that Ramesh was forcibly taken out of his house in front of his wife and children and attacked by a group of people. He was subsequently taken to an open area near a local tank, where the assailants allegedly attacked him indiscriminately with sticks and stones, leaving him critically injured. He reportedly succumbed to his injuries.

The incident plunged Ramesh’s family into grief. He is survived by his elderly parents, wife Rajitha and two daughters, Madhumathi and Ushasri.

On receiving information, police rushed to the scene and inspected the area. The body was later shifted to the area hospital for post-mortem examination.

Thorrur sub-inspector Mahender Reddy said a case had been registered and an investigation was underway from all angles. Police are probing the exact motive behind the murder and the number of people involved in the attack.

Hotel owner attacked for denying extra leg piece

An owner of a biryani hostel was attacked by two unidentified persons for not accepting their diktat for extra leg pieces for the same price as the chicken biryani.

Sheikh Nazeer, owner of Salaam Biryani hotel, which was located at the old centre in Sathupalli in the Khammam district, was beaten up by unidentified customers for not serving extra chicken leg pieces for biryani ordered by them.

According to the police, a case was filed against those who attacked the hotel owner based on his complaint. Efforts were going on to identify them by examining the footage of CCTV cameras installed at the hotel.

Hotel worker dies after being hit by train while shooting reels

A hotel worker, who was shooting reels with his friends on the railway track near Neredmet, was killed after being hit by an MMTS train at 6.30 pm on Tuesday.

The deceased, identified as Subhas Malik, 30, a resident of Safilguda and native of Odisha, worked in a hotel near his house.

GRP SI S.V. Subbareddy said that a case of suspicious death has been registered and the victim’s body has been handed over to his family members.

3 held, MDMA, OG Kush seized

Gachibowli police and Cyberabad SOT arrested three drug peddlers and seized 95.41 grams of MDMA and 50 grams of OG Kush, collectively valued at `16.40 lakh. Police also identified 16 consumers of the drug in the locality, all of whom tested positive during examination.

DCP, Serilingampally Zone, Ch. Srinivas said Koripella Yashwanth Sai Shanmukh, 26, a native of West Godavari, had come to Hyderabad in search of a job. He later got into consuming ganja and eventually turned to drug peddling for easy money. Shanmukh was caught while selling MDMA to one of his customers near Kingdom Pub Road at Vattinagulapally on August 11, following a tip-off received by the police. Sixteen consumers were also apprehended along with him. DCP said he uses a dead drop method and maintains communication on WhatsApp and Instagram.

During questioning, Shanmukh allegedly said that he procured MDMA from Md Razal Abdul Gafoor, 26, of Thrissur, Kerala, and Navina K. D, 22, of Bengaluru. Police subsequently formed two teams and sent them to Kerala and Bengaluru to trace the alleged suppliers.

Gafoor was arrested at Thrissur, as he supplied 44.41 grams of MDMA to Shanmukh, after procuring it from a Nigerian national identified as Sam. He was brought to Hyderabad after obtaining a transit warrant. The second team arrested Navina K. D at Begur in Bengaluru. During a search of her residence, police recovered 51 grams of MDMA and 50 grams of OG Kush. She told investigators that she had procured the drugs from her friend Aneshwar of Kerala.

Police said the investigation revealed three more persons involved in the supply chain, including the Nigerian national. Further investigation is underway to identify them and trace the entire network. The trio are arrested and sent to judicial remand.