Three girls, aged 8, 9 and 10, were sexually assaulted allegedly by a 65-year-old man several times in the past few weeks at a village in Gollapalli mandal of Jagtial district.
The incident came to light on Thursday (October 12) after the mothers of the survivors lodged a complaint with the local police. The Gollapalli police booked the accused under IPC Section 376 and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act; arrested him on Friday; and produced him before a court in Jagtial.
According to sources, the accused targeted the girls because they were poor and their fathers worked abroad. He lured the girls with chocolates and sexually assaulted them on his agricultural field several times. He threatened to kill them if they told anyone about it. When the girls fell sick three days ago, their mothers took them to a doctor, who found that they were sexually abused, the sources added.
