A 50-year-old man accused of raping a nine-year-old girl in Guntur district in Andhra Pradesh was found hanging from a tree on Thursday night, reported The Indian Express. Subbaiah had reportedly told a friend that he regretted what he had done and intended to commit suicide.
Locals in Daida village in Guntur noticed Subbaiah’s body and informed the police, reported Mumbai Mirror. “We received information that on Thursday afternoon Subbaiah had called a friend in his village and said that instead of surrendering he would rather commit suicide,” Inspector General of Police Gopal Rao told The Indian Express.
On Friday morning, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu tweeted that he was “infuriated to hear about the rape of a nine-year-old girl” and “instructed the IG [inspector general] to take strict action”.
Subbaiah, who worked as a rickshaw-puller, had allegedly lured the minor girl to a secluded part of Dachepalli village in Guntur and raped her on Wednesday afternoon, reported The Indian Express. The girl complained of bleeding and stomach pain. Her parents took her to doctors who confirmed that the girl had been raped.
The incident triggered protests in the area as residents burnt tyres, shouted slogans and blocked a highway till Thursday morning.
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