A day after the killing and alleged sexual assault of a three-year-old girl in Andhra Pradesh’s Tirupati district came to light, Home Minister Anitha Vangalapudi visited the child’s family. The accused, 23-year-old Sushanth, is a relative and neighbor of the child. He was arrested by police shortly after the girl was reported missing by her parents on Friday, November 1. Minister Anitha handed over Rs 10 lakh as grace to the family of the child, who lives in AM Puram village of Vadamalapeta mandal.

According to Tirupati District Superintendent of Police L Subbarayudu, the child was reported missing by her parents on Friday. On investigation, the police were informed that she was last seen with Sushanth, who took her out saying he was going to buy her some snacks. “When the child was last seen with him, we zeroed in on him as a suspect and questioned him. He confessed to killing her and revealed where he buried her body,” the SP said.

According to the SP, the child’s mother said that Sushanth would often play with the child. “He confessed to the crime while in custody. Technical evidence was collected. This is a heinous act. We will ensure strict punishment to the accused,” the SP added. Sushanth was booked under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenders Act (POCSO) and other relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

The incident took political color after YSR Congress Party leader RK Roja criticized the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) government singling out Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, Deputy CM Pawan Kalyan and particularly Home Minister Anitha in the connection with the incident.

In response, Minister Anitha blamed the previous YSRCP government for the availability of ganja and illicit liquor, which she said had led to crimes against women in the state. She alleged that these substances were allowed to become widely available under the YSRCP regime, which also allegedly weakened the police department. Anitha also said that the TDP government will launch an updated app for women’s safety called Mahila in place of the previous YSRCP government’s Disha app. She also said that the Naidu government is planning to increase the number of CCTV cameras in the state to prevent crimes against women.