Grieving parents seek death penalty for daughter’s killer

TIRUPATI: The grieving parents of the five-year-old girl, who was sexually assaulted and murdered by a 25-year-old habitual offender in Chittoor district earlier this month, have demanded death penalty for the accused.
On Nov 7, the little girl went missing from a function at a marriage hall in Kurabalakota.
Her body was found behind the function hall the next morning.Last Saturday, nearly 10 days after the incident, Madanapalle sub-division police arrested Pathan Mohammed Rafi, a resident of Molakavaripalle in Kurabalakota mandal of Chittoor district. Police said Rafi, who works as a truck cleaner, was a habitual offender who had targeted minor girls in the past too.
On Monday, the girl’s parents and various students unions staged protests and held a rally at Madanapalle.
They later met Madanapalle sub-collector Chekuri Keerthi and handed over a representation, demanding the accused to be hanged to death for the heinous crime.