Hyderabad: In a breakthrough two years in the making, the Balanagar police have arrested a man accused of abducting and sexually abusing an 11-year-old girl in 2023. The suspect, identified as Robinson D. Cornel, 25, was apprehended on 21 May in Secunderabad following extensive surveillance and digital tracking.
The case was first reported on 23 May 2023, when the victim’s father, a resident of Balanagar, informed police that his daughter had gone missing. The girl, who had just completed Class 5, was allegedly lured by Cornel, then aged 23, who lived in Vinayak Nagar. He gradually built her trust through casual interactions while she played near her home and then exploited her emotionally.
According to investigators, Cornel used a neighbour to relay messages and calls, manipulating the child into sneaking out of her home. On the night of 22 May 2023, he instructed her to bring cash, clothes, and a phone. Acting on his plan, she took Rs. 30,000 and left her home around 1:00 AM.
Cornel took her to Secunderabad railway station, and they travelled to Visakhapatnam. There, he confined her in a house and sexually assaulted her over two days. The child suffered visible injuries as a result of the abuse. On 29 May, fearing detection, Cornel returned to Secunderabad but abandoned the girl at the railway station under the pretext of fetching water. She used a stranger’s phone to call her father, who rescued her immediately and filed a police complaint.
Their efforts culminated in Cornel’s arrest at 8:10 PM on 21 May 2025, while he was visiting his grandmother at a Secunderabad hospital. He has since been taken into custody and will face charges under relevant sections of the law.