Guard Befriended Child, Killed Her For Ransom

HYDERABAD: Malkajgiri police commissioner B. Sumathi said the investigation into the murder of a five‑year‑old girl at a gated community in Kowkoor would be completed quickly and pursued in a fast‑track court, with capital punishment sought for the accused. Vikram Kumar, a former security guard, was apprehended by Malkajgiri police in connection with the killing.

Briefing the media, Sumathi said 10 police teams swung into action after the girl’s parents approached Bolaram police on Sunday evening about their missing daughter Aurelia alias Monu. The teams examined footage from about 130 CCTV cameras to trace her movements and identify the accused.

“Our initial search did not show the girl leaving the premises. We then divided the community into sectors. The footage showed her leaving with the accused within the clubhouse premises. When the search was extended towards the cellar, the body was found,” Sumathi said. The body was weighed down by a stone in a sump in the cellar.

The preliminary post‑mortem indicated strangulation as the cause of death. The commissioner said forensic analysis would further examine the sequence of events, including strangulation and tying the child with ropes. Construction material available in the cellar was allegedly used to dispose of the body.

Vikram Kumar, a native of Nalanda district in Bihar, joined as a guard two days before Vinayaka Chaviti but was terminated after 22 days for poor conduct. Police said he wanted to become rich without working as a labourer and conspired to abduct a child for ransom.

Sumathi said the accused had been watching children from the beginning and cultivated a friendly relationship with them. The victim, who regularly greeted him, became his target. He took her intending to demand ransom from her father but realised he could not escape with the child. He then strangled her with a rope.

“The accused killed the girl but left the premises. He used his colleague’s SIM card to call the family to demand ransom. He thought the family would not find the body and that he could claim the girl was in his custody,” the commissioner said.

However, the body was discovered around 2 am. The former guard allegedly called the family again at 4 am, demanding ransom and claiming the girl was with him. He instructed them to deliver the money in Secunderabad. Police tracked the location while continuing the search.

As reported earlier, the accused was apprehended by Bolaram police on Sunday and sent to judicial remand on Monday.