A 28-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly killing a five-year-old girl by strangling her in a gated community in Medchal Malkajgiri district of Telangana, police said on Monday.
Arelia’s grandfather, Arul Das, a retired Singareni employee, was reportedly associated with the villa community’s residents’ association. “Vikram Kumar had been working as a security guard at the gated community for the last few months, but was removed from service recently over alleged misconduct.
A dispute reportedly developed between him and members of the association, with Vikram holding Arul Das responsible for his dismissal…,” the police official said.
Arelia was playing with four other children near the society’s clubhouse on Saturday evening as residents celebrated the Bathukamma festival, according to police. When Arelia did not return home even after 7 pm, her family members alerted the Bollaram police. “At around 9 pm, Vikram called Arul Das and demanded ₹ 20 lakh, claiming that he had the girl in his custody.
“At around 6.30 pm, Vikram Kumar entered the complex and told the other security personnel that he would request the association members to allow him to work again,” Sumathi said. When Arul Das reportedly asked him to show the child over a video call to establish that she was safe, he switched off the phone,” the officer said.
