Hyderabad, Sep 14: A minor girl was drugged, abducted and sexually assaulted by nine people over a span of three days in Medchal Malkajgiri district near Hyderabad.

All the accused were booked under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, and arrested after the victim escaped from their clutches and lodged a complaint at Alwal Police Station under Malkajgiri Police Commissionerate.

The 16-year-old girl, a Class 11 student, was sexually assaulted on various occasions by the accused including those known to her, at different places including in a car, during a train journey and in a hotel room.

According to police, the victim came in contact with one J. Varun when she was in 10th class. A few months ago, the accused sexually assaulted her in his car after giving her a chocolate laced with sedatives. Another youth Romala Varun, who was introduced to her by J. Varun, also sexually assaulted her after making her a cigarette, liquor and Ganja addict.

Preliminary investigation by police revealed that the victim had earlier came in touch with one David Varun through Instagram. The accused had made her consume liquor and misbehaved with her.

Suspicious over her behavior, the girl’s father admonished her on September 9. Angry over this, the girl left the house and reached Bollarum Railway Station, where a person Neeraj met her. He called his friend Vicky and they sexually assaulted the victim after giving her some intoxicated substances.

Later, Vicky along with another friend Nikhil took the girl to a OYO room in Dulapally. Vicky and Nikhil along with two others sexually assaulted her. On the night of September 9, Vicky brought her his house in Bollarum and confined her here.

The next day she managed to escape and reached Bollarum Railway Station. Vicky along with his friend Ganesh reached there and forcibly drugged her. They took her to Medchal Railway Station. From there, they took her to Malkajgiri and on the way sexually assaulted her in the train. After reaching Malkajgiri, they boarded an autorickshaw. However, she managed to escape and reached her house and with the help of family members approached police.

On a complaint by the victim, police registered cases under POCSO Act and various sections of BNS against the accused.

The police have also arrested manager and owner of OYO hotel for admitting the minor and allotting a room without proper verification.

Srinagar, Sep 14: Police in Jammu and Kashmir’s Sopore area arrested a drug peddler with psychotropic substances while two others were arrested in Shopian district with heroin and charas on Monday.

Police said continuing its sustained drive against the drug menace, Sopore Police arrested a drug peddler and recovered 240 capsules of Spasmo-Proxyvon Plus along with Rs 47,000 in cash.

During naka checking at Amargarh Crossing, in the jurisdiction of Police Station Tarzoo, a truck bearing Registration No. JK05H-4164, driven by Jahangir Ahmad Dar son of Nazir Ahmad Dar resident of Patoosa, Rafiabad, was intercepted and subjected to checking.

During the search, 240 capsules of Spasmo-Proxyvon Plus and Rs 47,000 in cash were recovered from the possession of the accused and seized in accordance with due legal procedure.

Accordingly, FIR No. 125/2026 under relevant provisions of the NDPS Act has been registered at Police Station Tarzoo and investigation has been taken up to ascertain the source and wider linkages involved.

Sopore Police reiterates its zero-tolerance policy against drug trafficking and remains committed to sustained action against drug peddlers to safeguard youth and society from the menace of narcotics.

Police have arrested two persons in separate operations in Shopian district and recovered substances suspected to be heroin and charas from their possession, officials said.

During naka checking at Kiloora Crossing, a police party from Police Station Imamsahib intercepted a person after noticing his suspicious movement, officials said.

A personal search led to the recovery of around 1.210 grams of a heroin-like substance. The person was identified as Murshid Ahmad Malik, a resident of Krawoora, Imamsahib.

Police have registered FIR No. 64/2026 under relevant provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act at Police Station Imamsahib and taken up investigation into the case.

In a separate operation, cops from Police Station Zainapora intercepted another person during naka checking at Babapora Zainapora crossing, officials said.

A search resulted in the recovery of around 18 grams of a charas-like substance. The accused was identified as Muneeb Ahmad Thoker, son of late Shamem Ahmad Thoker, a resident of Beibagh, Yaripora, Kulgam.

An FIR, numbered 120/2026, has been registered at Police Station Zainapora under relevant provisions of the law, and an investigation has been initiated to determine the source of the suspected contraband and other circumstances of the case, officials said.

The two cases are being investigated separately. The recovered substances have been described by police as heroin-like and charas-like material pending further legal and forensic procedures.

Hyderabad, Sep 13: A court in Telangana’s Secunderabad has sent former army NCO Upputholla Mallesh to police custody for seven days in connection with the theft of firearms and ammunition from the 20 Battalion, Madras Regiment’s armoury in Bolarum.

Police will take the accused into custody on Monday for further interrogation in the sensational case, sources said on Sunday.

The investigators will grill Mallesh further on the basis of information provided by him during the preliminary questioning after his arrest.

Mallesh, 37, had allegedly committed the theft on the intervening night of August 30 and 31. The police had announced the arrest of Mallesh on September 11. The same day, he was sent to judicial custody for 14 days and lodged at Chanchalguda Central Prison.

Telangana Police will also share details to be gathered during the questioning with the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and Army authorities for further investigation.

Telangana Director General of Police C. V. Anand had stated at the press conference on Friday that prima facie, Mallesh acted alone in committing the offence. He, however, had said that police were continuing the investigation into the possible role of others.

During police custody, investigators are likely to elicit information from Mallesh if he was helped by anyone in committing the offence and if he handed over weapons to others for hiding.

The DGP had announced that the entire cache of arms and ammunition stolen from Kote & Magazine of 20 Battalion, Madras Regiment was recovered.

Bollarum police, along with Hyderabad Task Force and SOT Malkajgiri Commissionerate, had arrested Mallesh in a joint operation.

The intention behind the theft preliminarily appears to be disgruntlement out of early retirement from service, the DGP had said.

Hailing from Nagarkurnool district, Mallesh joined the Indian Army in 2010 and worked for 16 years before retirement from service on June 30, 2026, on the grounds of indiscipline

and poor health.

After thorough investigation, police had zeroed in on Mallesh, a native of Jangareddypalle village of Nagarkurnool district who was staying with family at Balajinagar in Secunderabad Cantonment. His movements since August 27 and on the day of the offence were suspicious and did not match what he was saying.

Investigations revealed that on August 27, 28 and 29, he had gone to the area on a recce of the arms depository. On the night of August 30, he broke the lock of the arms and ammunition stores and carried the stolen cache on his bike and later transported the same in his car to Nagarkurnool district, where he hid it near his house.

The stolen arms and ammunition included four AK-203 assault rifles along with five magazines, an INSAS rifle with three magazines, six 9 mm pistols along with 12 magazines, one civil 6.35-bore pistol along with a magazine, one passive night-vision binocular, 1,156 rounds of ammunition of 9mm pistol, 720 rounds of AK-203 ammunition, 11 ball, 5 tracer and 20 blank rounds of 5.56 mm INSAS ammunition.