New Delhi: TRS leader, Sheikh Sajid Khan, who is also the vice-chairman of Nirmal Municipality, absconded after being accused of rape by a 15-year-old minor in Nirmal. The party on Monday announced his expulsion a day after police booked him under POCSO Act.


“We have registered a case under Section 376 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and relevant sections of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act on Sunday. The accused has been missing since then. We have formed four special teams to search for him and we shall arrest him at the earliest,” Nirmal deputy superintendent of police D Upender Reddy quoted as saying by Hindustan Times.


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According to the police, the then TRS leader spotted the girl, who is studying 8th class, in a function in Nirmal and later he contacted a woman to help him. The woman convinced the child's parents that she would take the 15-year-old to a family function. But after reaching Hyderabad, the woman took her to a hotel in the old city, where khan raped her, Hindustan Times reported.


Later the girl was reportedly taken to other hotels, where she was assaulted sexually repeatedly. Before sending the girl back home, the woman threatened her against complaining to the police. But, the rape survivor told her parents about the incident on Saturday. 


The police came to know about the whole incident after the girl's parents lodged a complaint with the "Childline", an NGO working against child abuse and child trafficking.


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Telangana Minister for Forests, Law & Endowments, A Indrakaran Reddy announced the rape accused expulsion from the party. "Nobody will be spared if he is involved in such offences that will bring disrepute to the party. The government will take all steps to ensure justice to the victim,” the minister quoted as saying by HT.