Customers at a wine shop near the Auto Nagar main road in Vijayawada on Tuesday.
| Photo Credit: K.V.S. GIRI
The death of a 27-year-old woman under suspicious conditions after she was allegedly sexually assaulted in Auto Nagar has been creating panic among the residents and the traders in the busy locality.
“The woman was a rag-picker living on the roadside near Auto Nagar Gate. She was allegedly sexually assaulted and her body was found at an abandoned spot,” the Patamata police said.
P. Prabhakar, alias Nathi Siva, was named the accused in the case. The police said that he offered food to the victim and sexually assaulted her in an open place around 12 noon on April 1. Later, the accused was identified and arrested, the police said.
Patamata Circle Inspector V. Pavan Kishore said the reasons for the death will be known only after the postmortem report. “We are waiting for the report,” the CI, who visited the scene of the offence, told The Hindu.
“Drunkards on the road are creating panic in the busy Auto Nagar area where the woman had died. The incident occurred just a stone’s throw away from the Patamata police station. Boozers are occupying roads, obstructing traffic and are causing inconvenience to passers-by,” said an auto driver, P. Ramu.
“Some liquor shop owners are not bothered though the boozers are consuming liquor on the roads. The public is consuming liquor on the road dividers and in open places, creating panic in the locality. The recent incident shows the lack of security for women in the area,” said G. Mary (name changed).
“Brawls were common at liquor shops and tea stalls. There is no vigil, and the rush will continue till midnight. Though the liquor outlets are close to the police station, there is no patrolling,” says a senior citizen, Rama Krishna (name changed).
Patamata police said that a case under Section 194 of Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2024, has been registered on the death of the woman, and an investigation is ongoing.
Published – April 16, 2025 08:35 am IST
