Hyderabad: In an incident that sent shockwaves through a gated community in Kowkoor , Bollarum , a five-year-old girl was allegedly kidnapped and murdered by a former security guard, just a day after he was removed from the job for poor conduct. Cops said that the accused, Vikram , a native of Bihar, allegedly drowned the minor in a water sump in the community’s cellar after tying her hands and legs and weighing her down. He then allegedly called her family, demanding a ransom of Rs 20 lakh.




The incident took place on Saturday evening when the girl went to watch Bathukamma celebrations at the clubhouse. Her body was recovered from Bollarum police who initially registered a case under Section 140 of the BNS (kidnapping or abduction for murder or ransom, among other offences), have since added murder charges. All seven security guards employed at the society have been taken into custody for questioning. Police have also launched a manhunt for Vikram, who is absconding.




CCTV footage from the community has helped investigators piece together the sequence of events, suggesting that Vikram followed the girl before allegedly abducting her.




Around 7.45 pm, the girl’s grandfather received a call from an unknown number. “The caller claimed he had his grandson in custody and demanded Rs 20 lakh, asking him to come to Secunderabad with the money. (Aapka pota mere paas hai, mujhe 20 lakh chahiye, main Secunderabad mein hoon, aake le lo),” a police official said, referring to the girl’s father’s complaint.




When the grandfather realised that his grandson was safe and cycling around the house, he confronted the caller, who disconnected the call. The accused later contacted the girl’s father, a research scientist at an agriculture-based company, and made a similar ransom demand, this time claiming that his daughter was in his custody.




The family, meanwhile, began searching for the girl after she failed to return home. “Her mother had apparently asked her son to call his sister home around 7.30 pm. He returned saying she would be back in five minutes,” the police official said. When the family could not find her at the clubhouse, concern turned to panic.




The accused called again and allegedly asked the family to transfer the ransom to a bank account. Although the family agreed to pay, they insisted that he show the girl on a video call to establish that she was safe. He refused, police said.




The family subsequently alerted the police, who rushed to the community. By then, the accused had switched off his phone.




Residents examined CCTV footage from the gated community and spotted the girl leaving the clubhouse, with a man following her at some distance. When police traced the number used to make the ransom calls, they found that it belonged to a security guard employed at the society.




“During questioning, the guard confessed that Vikram had entered the premises and used his phone to make a call,” said G Ramesh, assistant commissioner of police (Trimulgherry division). Another CCTV clip purportedly showed Vikram signalling to the guard before hurriedly leaving the premises.




Acting on the guard’s statement, police and residents searched the clubhouse cellar and found the girl’s body in a water sump. Her hands and legs were tied, and two bricks had been tied around her waist, police said.




Cops have launched a manhunt for Vikram, deploying drones in Secunderabad and other parts of the city to trace him. Special teams have also been sent to different city suburbs, including Patancheru , to search for the accused based on leads they have received.




Vikram had been hired by the housing society four months ago and was fired from his job on Oct 9.




The girl’s family has demanded stringent action against the accused. “I want the accused to die,” the distraught mother of the minor told media, struggling to come to terms with her daughter’s loss.