Telangana ministers visit r*pe-murder victim's family

Hyderabad, Sep 16: A week after the rape and murder of a six-year-old girl in Hyderabad, two Telangana ministers on Thursday called on her parents and presented a cheque of Rs 20 lakh.

Home minister Mohammed Mahmood Ali and minister for women and child welfare Satyavati Rathore visited the victim's family in Singareni Colony in Saidabad area Thursday morning.

A couple of hours after the ministers' visit, police found the body of accused Pallkonda Raju (30) on a railway track near Station Ghanpur in Jangaon district.

The ministers consoled the family and also promised to allot them two-bed room house. They assured the victim's parents that all steps will be taken to ensure that the guilty get stringent punishment.

Some local residents lodged their protest over the manner the ministers visited the victim's family without any prior information.

Leaders of Seva Lal Banjara Sangham tried to disrupt the ministers' visit but were stopped by the police.

Later, the victim's family members said they will return the cheque to the government as they only want justice. The girl's father told reporters that the ministers left the cheque in their house. "We don't want the cheque. We want justice," he said.

The six-year-old was sexually assaulted and murdered by Raju, who happened to be her neighbor, on September 9. The incident triggered public outrage.

The state government had come under criticism from the opposition for its handling of the case. The opposition leaders who visited the victim's house, found fault with Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao and his cabinet colleagues for not visiting the family.

A massive manhunt was launched for the fugitive and Hyderabad police had announced Rs 10 lakh reward for any information leading to his arrest.

The accused was found dead on railway track in Jangaon district. Police claimed that he committed suicide by throwing himself under a train. The body was identified with tattoo marks on hands.