Three held for raping mentally challenged woman in Hyderabad

Hyderabad: The Hyderabad police have arrested three men on the charges of raping a 19-year-old mentally challenged woman. The crime was committed a day before the country was left numb with the news of veterinary doctor Disha's gang rape and murder.

The woman had gone missing from Kulsumpura in the old city of Hyderabad. Noticing her alone on a street, the accused offered to drop her and preyed on her, said the police.

The police said the young woman has the habit of leaving home and returning after a few hours. However, on the evening of November 26, she didn't come back. Worried, her brothers approached the police, triggering a search.

The crime began to unravel after the girl's family traced her near Puranapul around midnight and brought her home.

The police said the girl's behaviour was unusual at home. While she can't speak, it appeared she was trying to convey something through signs. The family informed the police and took her to a Bharosa centre for counselling.

At Bharosa, a team of experts interacted with the survivor for more than five hours and understood that she had been raped. The missing complaint was then revised with rape charges.

Since the girl was not in a position to share any more details, the police started investigating with technical evidence. They came across a CCTV footage showing a man with her at Puranapul, where she had been traced.

Local shopkeepers helped the cops identify the man as Nazeer, a bandman. After he was detained, Nazeer admitted to raping the girl. Nazeer also told the police that two persons had brought the survivor in an autorickshaw and told him to drop her home.

The police tracked down the auto owner who said he had rented out his vehicle to Khaleem and Abdul Aziz. The duo was then arrested. All the three accused have been remanded in judicial custody.