Hyderabad, Oct 11: An agriculture scientist’s five-year-old daughter was kidnapped and murdered allegedly by a security guard at a gated community in Secunderabad, police said on Sunday.

The girl, who was kidnapped on Saturday evening, was found dead in the cellar of a clubhouse at Villa Orchids in Kowkur, Bollarum, where the family is residing

The girl’s hands and legs were tied, and her body was dumped in a water sump.

The kidnapper had reportedly called the girl’s family demanding a ransom of Rs 20 lakh. Though they agreed to pay the money, the accused had later switched off his phone.

Police suspect that the security guard murdered the child after demanding ransom. The suspect, identified as Vikram, was employed as a security guard at the gated community.

Moses Aureli (5) went missing while playing on Saturday evening near her villa in Villa Orchids in Kowkur under the limits of Bollarum Police Station of Malkajgiri Commissionerate.

Police registered a case on a complaint by the girl’s parents and launched an operation to trace the child.

Preliminary investigation by the police revealed that Vikram was following the girl before kidnapping her.

Police have formed 10 special teams to trace Vikram, whose phone was reportedly switched off near Secunderabad Railway Station.

Several police teams conducted searches in the surrounding areas on Saturday night. Drone cameras were also deployed as part of the search operations.

The police teams checked lodges and hotels around Secunderabad Railway Station.

Police were continuing the efforts to trace the suspect and establish the sequence of events leading to the child’s death.

According to residents, the security guard was removed from the job two days ago due to bad behaviour. He is suspected of having kidnapped and killed the child out of the grudge, as Aurelu’s grandfather was part of the committee that sacked Vikram following complaints from many residents.

The girl’s kidnapping and murder sent a shockwave among residents at the gated community and surrounding areas. They demanded that the police immediately apprehend the culprit and ensure that he gets the harshest punishment.

Ahmedabad, Oct 10: The Ahmedabad Rural Police have seized 696.94 kg of poppy husk concealed beneath steel coils in a truck travelling from Nagpur in Maharashtra to Sanand in Gujarat and arrested the driver, while two other suspects have been identified in connection with the alleged interstate trafficking operation.

The narcotic substance, packed in 36 sacks, was valued at Rs 1.045 crore, while the total value of the seized property, including the truck, steel coil, mobile phones and cash, was estimated at Rs 1.47 crore, police said on Saturday.

The joint operation was conducted by the Special Operations Group (SOG) and the Anti-Narcotics Wing (ANW) of Ahmedabad Rural Police following a tip-off received by SOG Sub-Inspector I.K. Sheikh that a truck-trailer was carrying a large consignment of poppy husk concealed beneath steel coils.

The coils were reportedly being transported from Nagpur for delivery to Tata Motors in Sanand, said the police.

Acting on the information, police teams tracked the vehicle and received specific information that it would pass along the Kheda-Dholka highway on the night of October 8. The teams intercepted the vehicle and inspected its cargo.

When the tarpaulin covering the steel coils was removed, they found 36 black and yellow sacks containing the suspected narcotic substance concealed beneath the coils.

Police identified the arrested driver as Bhairaram Tarad, 33, a resident of Barmer district in Rajasthan.

According to the police, the consignment had allegedly been loaded into the trailer near Jhabua in Madhya Pradesh by a person identified as Santosh, who is now wanted in the case.

The driver was allegedly promised freight charges of Rs two lakh to transport the consignment to its intended recipient in Gujarat.

Police have also detained Jetaram Kadwasha, a resident of Samakhiyali in Kutch district, who is suspected of being the receiver who ordered the consignment. He is being questioned, while efforts are underway to apprehend Santosh.

A case has been registered at Dholka Rural Police Station under Sections 8(c), 15(c) and 29 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.

Further investigation is underway to establish the source of the consignment and the roles of the other suspects.

The seized property includes the truck-trailer valued at Rs 20 lakh, a steel coil worth around Rs 22.22 lakh, two mobile phones valued at Rs 7,000 and cash amounting to Rs 32,010, in addition to the poppy husk.

New Delhi, Oct 10: The Delhi BJP Mahila Morcha staged a protest on Saturday to demand the expulsion from Congress and the arrest of MP and JNU Professor Angomcha Bimol Akoijam accused of sexual harassment of female students.

A large number of Mahila Morcha workers gathered near the Laxmi Nagar Metro Station in East Delhi, and raised slogans against the MP.

As soon as they began marching towards the Congress headquarters on Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Marg, the Delhi Police detained them after they had walked only a short distance and took them to Shakarpur Police Station, a Delhi BJP leader said.

The protest was led by BJP Mahila Morcha National Secretary and Rajya Sabha MP Sangeeta Yadav and Delhi BJP General Secretary Yogita Singh, in the presence of State Vice President Sarika Jain, Mahila Morcha President Archana Gupta and In-charge Aarti Mehra.

Rajya Sabha MP Sangeeta Yadav said, “We are standing here to defend the dignity of daughters. At a prestigious educational institution like JNU, a person accused of sexually harassing female students under the guise of being a professor, and who is also a Congress MP continues to move around freely.”

“The Congress is the most glaring example of an ‘anti-women’ mindset. A party that cannot protect its daughters has no right to remain in power,” she added.

“We (BJP) demand his (Akoijam’s) immediate expulsion from the party (Congress) and immediate arrest. The BJP Mahila Morcha will not remain silent. The slogan of ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ will be meaningful only when those responsible are punished. Ensuring the safety of every daughter in Delhi is our responsibility,” she said.

Delhi BJP General Secretary Yogita Singh said that the Congress has always treated women merely as a vote bank.

“A sitting MP is accused of sexually harassing female students at JNU, and the Congress is shielding him. The party should be ashamed,” she added.

“How long will the dignity of our daughters continue to be violated? How long will the Congress protect its leaders accused of wrongdoing?” Yogita Singh asked.

“If Angomcha Bimol Akoijam is not arrested today, no other daughter will be safe tomorrow. Our struggle will continue from the streets to Parliament. We demand justice, not compromise,” she said.

BJP Mahila Morcha General Secretary Archana Gupta said, “A Congress MP has been accused of harassing female students at JNU. This exposes the Congress party’s double standards — speaking about women’s empowerment on public platforms while allowing the exploitation of women within its ranks.”

“We demand that the accused be expelled from the party and sent to jail. The BJP Mahila Morcha stands with every daughter. Break the silence and deliver justice,” she added.

Richa Pandey, Delhi BJP Vice-President, said the Congress is ‘anti-women’.

“The party is shielding MP Angomcha Bimol Akoijam, who is accused of exploiting JNU’s female students. This is an insult to our daughters,” she added.