Five arrested for raping two girls who escaped from shelter in Hyderabad

HYDERABAD: In a distressing incident, two teenage girls who escaped from a rehabilitation shelter in Hyderabad were allegedly raped by five young men. The incident took place after the girls, aged 14 and 15, fled from a shelter run by a private organisation in the IS Sadan Division area, Saidabad.

According to police reports, one of the girls, from Jangaon, had been residing at the shelter for the past three months, while the other, from Malkajgiri, had arrived on 18th September. Though both girls have parents, they were placed in the shelter for different personal reasons. Growing closer during their time together, the two planned to run away, eventually escaping through a window on 24th September. After their disappearance, a complaint was lodged by the shelter management, and the Saidabad police registered a case.

The two girls managed to reach Jangaon by 8 PM that night. One of the girls borrowed a phone from Sai Deep, a pan shop owner near the bus stand, and contacted a known acquaintance named Nagaraju. Nagaraju arrived and took her, promising shelter, but instead sexually assaulted her.

Meanwhile, Sai Deep noticed the second girl alone near the bus stand and lured her to a nearby bakery, offering her shelter. There, both Sai Deep and Raju, the bakery owner, raped her. The following morning, Nagaraju brought the first girl back to the bus stand and left her there.

After learning about the presence of both girls at the bus stand, Sai Deep, along with his friends Akhil and Rohith, convinced them to come with them to Hyderabad, offering help. Instead, they drove the girls to different locations and sexually assaulted them before leaving them back at the bus stand.

Later that day, the police found the girls at the bus stand and returned them to the rehabilitation centre in Saidabad. The shelter's management contacted experts from the Bharosa Centre, where the girls received counselling. During these sessions, the girls revealed the sexual assaults they had faced.

Based on the girls' statements, the Saidabad police registered a case under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act against the five men involved - Sai Deep, Raju, Nagaraju, Akhil, and Rohith. The accused were subsequently taken into custody and remanded for further investigation.