The convict, Shaik Saleem of NTR Nagar, was charged under sections relating to rape of a child below 12 years, criminal intimidation, the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and the Pocso Act.
Hyderabad: A fast-track special court in LB Nagar has sentenced a 30-year-old auto driver to life imprisonment for repeatedly raping a nine-year-old girl in 2022. The verdict was based on DNA findings and corroborative evidence.
The convict, Shaik Saleem of NTR Nagar, was charged under sections relating to rape of a child below 12 years, criminal intimidation, the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and the Pocso Act. Police said Saleem lured the child to his residence over three days and sexually assaulted her. He was arrested the same day after the victim’s mother lodged a complaint with the LB Nagar police.
The investigation, led by then LB Nagar zonal ACP Sreedhar Reddy, was supported by a woman officer to record the child’s statement. Police seized a bed sheet and a towel with suspected biological stains, along with the clothes worn by the accused. The child was sent for medical examination, and Saleem’s blood samples were collected with court permission for DNA profiling.
Forensic analysis detected human semen on the bed sheet and two items of the accused’s clothing, and human blood on the bed sheet. The DNA profile matched Saleem’s, establishing conclusive proof. Medical opinion and consistent witness statements further strengthened the case.
After a two-month trial, the court convicted Saleem, imposed a fine of `50,000 and awarded `5 lakh compensation to the victim.
