Two minor girls allegedly sexually assaulted near Machilipatnam

Two 13-year-old girls studying in Class VIII at a government-run institute and staying in its hostel were allegedly sexually assaulted by an auto-rickshaw driver and his friend at Rudravaram village on the outskirts of Machilipatnam in Krishna district.

The girls, natives of Gannavaram and Rudravaram, had left their school two days ago to go home. They boarded an auto-rickshaw at Machilipatnam later that night. The driver and his friend allegedly took them to an isolated place at Rudravaram and sexually assaulted them.

The incident came to light the next day after one of the girls fell ill. Following a complaint about the girls going missing, Pedana police initially registered a missing case. The Machilipatnam police later altered the case and booked the accused under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012, and other relevant provisions, including rape, on Saturday.