Hyderabad: Advocate M. Sudhakar Reddy and his son, who were booked for raping and impregnating a minor girl, had purchased the girl from her parents seven months ago. They paid Rs 10,000 to the victim’s father and never paid her salary.
Police found the girl was never paid since it was a ‘no salary deal’. The 15-year-old girl was purchased and pushed into bonded labour in the suspects’ house.
Meanwhile, locals said the advocate’s family had terrified their neighbours with their ‘goonda’ tactics. After the rape came out the suspects assaulted a person who had leaked the information to child rights activists.
Police arrested Sudhakar Reddy and his son Bharath Kumar Reddy, 30, on rape charges on Wednesday. Police also arrested the eldest son of the advocate, Taraka Ram Reddy, for allegedly beating up the girl when she complained of sexual harassment.
Child rights activists said the advocate struck a deal with the girl's parents seven months ago as they needed a housemaid. “The victim’s parents belong to Suryapet. They are poor daily wage labourers. When they were given '10,000, they let the girl go and work in the advocate’s house without a salary,” said child rights activist Achyuth Rao.
Even after the case was booked, Sudhakar Reddy, who claimed to practice at the High Court, was casual about the sexual harassment. “When I asked him why he sodomised the girl he told me that he did it as his wife was ill. He was very casual about it,” Achuth Rao said.
The girl was raped frequently by Sudhakar Reddy’s son Bharath Kumar Reddy.
Locals said the advocate used to behave aggressively in the locality as he was rich and had political connections.
