Hyderabad:
A 13-year-old girl, set on fire in Telangana last month allegedly after resisting sexual advances from a 26-year-old man at her home where she worked as a caregiver, died today at a Hyderabad hospital.
The girl had 70% burns.
Although the incident took place on 18 September, in the Khammam district, almost 195 km from Hyderabad, it came to light only a few weeks after a police investigation into the matter was launched.
The teenager had delivered a statement to the police and a “statement” to a judge identifying the man who allegedly assaulted her as the son of the family who hired her to care for a bedridden man.
The girl told police that the man ripped her clothes while trying to sexually assault her on September 18. When she resisted his advances, he poured gasoline on her and set her on fire, the girl is said to have told police.
The man, who has been detained, reportedly told police that the girl was burned in an accident. Apart from the rape and attempted murder cases, the defendant was also charged with concealing evidence and / or making it disappear, “Khammam District Police Commissioner Tafseer Iqbal told NDTV.
The man’s pregnant wife was visiting his parents at the time of the incident.
“The district health and medical official has been told to investigate why the doctors, hospital or families did not report the case to authorities earlier,” Iqbal said.
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