VIZIANAGARAM: A six-month-old girl was allegedly raped by a 40-year-old man in Jeeluguvalasa village under Ramabhadrapuram mandal of Vizianagaram district on Saturday. The incident came to light following the arrest of the accused on Sunday morning.
According to Bobbili DSP Srinivas Rao, the girl's mother had gone to a nearby grocery store along with her 10-year-old elder daughter to fetch some provisions. Before heading out, she had bathed the infant and put her to sleep in her cradle.
The accused, identified as Boyana Yerrakanna Dora from the neighbouring village of Nerellavalasa, was a member of the infant’s family and frequently visited their house. On Saturday, he went inside the house when no one was present and committed the crime.
The DSP explained, "When the baby began wailing, her mother sent the elder daughter to check what had happened. The 10-year-old saw Dora holding the baby, who was bleeding from her private parts. She rushed back to her mother and informed her about what she saw. The mother then rushed home and confronted the accused, who was in an inebriated condition. When he tried to flee, she attacked him with a stick. Yet, he managed to escape. Villagers chased after him, but in vain."
The infant was taken to the government hospital in Badangi and later shifted to the Maharani Mother & Child (Ghosha) Hospital in Vizianagaram. The condition of the baby girl is reported to be stable. 
Case booked under Sec65(2) of BNS
The girl’s mother lodged a complaint with Ramabhadrapuram police, and on the directions of Vizianagaram SP, Bobbili DSP Srinivas Rao registered a case and launched a probe.
On Sunday, the police arrested Dora from his residence and booked him under Section 65 (2) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) (whoever commits rape on a woman under 12 years of age should be punished with rigorous imprisonment for a term not less than 20 years) and relevant sections of POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) Act. The DSP said Dora, a labourer, resorted to the crime under the influence of alcohol. Police also seized the blood-stained cradle and the accused’s clothes, and sent them to a forensic science laboratory.
Kondapalli Srinivas, Minister for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME), Society for Elimination of Rural Poverty, and NRI Empowerment and Relations, condemned the incident and visited Ghosha Hospital. He spoke to the victim’s family and assured them justice.
Condemning the heinous crime, Gummadi Sandhya Rani, Minister for Women and Child Welfare, and Tribal Welfare, pressed for strong action to curb such barbaric crimes.