Hyderabad, March 22: The 15-year girl, who was allegedly set ablaze by three youngsters after a vain bid to rape her at Kushaiguda, died on Sunday morning after battling for life for five days.
Her last wish – ‘culprits should be caught and punished stringently’ – still remains unfulfilled with the police failing to nab the trio.
The three accused, whom the girl from Padmaraonagar in the city identified as Anil Kumar, Charan and Vijay, took her to Vijayawada on March 9 on the pretext of celebrating the birthday of one of them.
Four days later, they brought her back to the city and confined her in a room in Kushaiguda. They tied-up and gagged her, police said.
On March 17 morning, the accused tried to sexually assault her and when she resisted, they set her ablaze and fled the house. As the girl ran out of the house engulfed in flames, locals shifted her to the Gandhi hospital. She suffered over 60 percent burns.
The victim, in her dying declaration, told the magistrate that firm steps should be taken by the police to ensure that the accused got stringent punishment.
“We are making efforts to trace them,’’ inspector Muthyam Reddy said. Meanwhile, police altered the case from Section 307 (attempt to murder) to Section 302 (murder).
–Agencies