Vijayawada: Annam Subbaiah, a 56-year-old rickshaw puller, who caused sensation in the two Telugu States by sexually assaulting a nine-year-old girl in Dachepally in Guntur district, was found hanging to a tree.
Police said the body of the culprit was found hanging to a tree near Daida Amaralineshwara Swamy temple in Gurajala mandal in Guntur District. Director General of Police Poonam Malakondaiah released the relevant photograph and the deceased’s last phone call this morning. Meanwhile, AP Home Minister China Rajappa also confirmed that the body belonged to Annam Subbaiah.
Subbaiah was believed to have repented his heinous act and told a friend before dying that he was ashamed of the act and brought disrepute to his family. A recorded conversation of a phone call between Subbaiah and his friend has gone viral. In the call, he was heard telling his friend that he has no face to show to his people and that he had done it in haste. The friend is heard pleading with the accused to reveal his place which the accused refuses and says that he was going to end his life after hanging up. Subbaiah also says that his dirty act had even spoilt the reputation of his son.
The DGP suspected that the accused was mentally unsound. Subbaiah had married twice but both the wives had deserted him. The rape in Dachepalli on Wednesday night caused huge outrage as people took to streets, demanding justice to the victim’s family. While the relatives of the girl continued their protest through the night, others joined them on Thursday to block Addanki-Narketpally highway, leading to a huge traffic jam. The protesters demanded that the accused be immediately arrested. Some demanded that he be hanged in public.
Police had a tough time controlling the protesters, who went on a rampage and damaged a few buses. The locals also observed a shutdown. Additional forces were called to control the situation. The DGP said the accused was booked under Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act, which was amended last month by the Central government to prescribe capital punishment for the rapists of children younger than 12.
The victim was undergoing treatment in a government-run hospital in Guntur. Two ministers P. Pulla Rao and N. Anand Babu visited the hospital and assured all assistance to the girl’s family. (NSS)