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.

New Delhi, Oct 11: The Delhi Police have apprehended 13 people after busting an illegal gambling racket and seized Rs 2,01,000 in cash, 416 playing cards, and 2100 poker tokens and chips in Shahdara district, officials said on Sunday.

According to the police, Special Staff, Shahdara District, received specific information on October 10 about alleged illegal gambling at the premises. A raiding team comprising Sub-inspectors Subash and Vishal Rana, and head constables Ravi, Paramvir and Rajender acted on the information.

Further, the team reached the alleged location at 3.20 a.m. and conducted a raid. During the raid, the 13 people were found allegedly indulging in gambling using playing cards, cash, and poker chips.

The apprehended persons were identified as Rajesh Oberoi, 37, a resident of Ram Vihar; Amrik Singh alias Lucky, 33, of Radhe Shyam Park Extension; Shubham, 29, of Uttaranchal Vihar in Ghaziabad; Sohail, 38, of Old Govindpura in Jagatpuri; and Gurpreet Singh, 28, of Hargobind Enclave in Anand Vihar.

The others were identified as Rajeev Kumar Verma, 49, of Madhu Vihar; Vimal Kumar, 42, of Krishna Nagar; Laksay Sharma, 25, of Sunny Enclave in Anand Vihar; Pradeep Kumar, 40, of Ganesh Nagar; Omprakash, 56, of Laxmi Nagar; Mahender, 46, of Guru Ramdas Nagar in Laxmi Nagar; Puneet Kumar, 47, of Laxmi Nagar; and Samardeep Singh, 46, of Pandav Nagar.

The police seized Rs 2,01,000 in cash, 416 playing cards and 2,100 poker tokens or chips during the raid. Each token or chip was stated to have a value of Rs 1,000.

The accused were booked under sections 3, 4 and 5 of the Delhi Public Gambling Act in FIR number 355/2026 on October 10.

Further investigation is underway to establish the complete facts and circumstances of the case and ascertain other relevant aspects of the alleged gambling activities, the police said in a statement issued by Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Rajendra Prasad Meena.

The police said they remain committed to taking firm and sustained action against illegal gambling and other unlawful activities in the district.

“Special drives and intelligence-based operations will continue to maintain public order and ensure strict enforcement of the law,” the statement mentioned.

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.