HYDERABAD: A Suryapet court awarded 25 years’ imprisonment to 44-year-old Nallagattu Lakshmaiah and imposed a fine of Rs 20,000 in a case of raping a six-year-old girl at Mothey in May 2023.
The first Additional District Judge, Dr M. Shyam Sree, while delivering the verdict, also awarded Rs 5 lakh compensation to the survivor. SP Suryapet K Narsimha appreciated the investigation, prosecution, and the court monitoring team for the conviction.
According to police, the girl’s parents, while attending a relative’s funeral, left her in the care of Lakshmaiah. When they returned home the next day, the girl was sick. They got her treated, but she did not recover and became more ill.
Subsequently, the girl confided in her mother that Lakshmaiah raped her. Accordingly, police registered a case, arrested him, and a charge sheet was filed. The court took up the trial, examined eight witnesses and the evidence produced, and pronounced Lakshmaiah guilty of the crime.
(The victim’s identity has not been revealed to protect her privacy as per Supreme Court directives on cases related to sexual assault)