Hyderabad: The Nacharam police on Thursday, July 5, arrested a 28-year-old construction worker, Dasari Mahendar alias Mahesh, for allegedly sexually assaulting and impregnating a 19-year-old girl, who then took her own life.

According to a TNIE report, the police stated that Mahendar, a resident of Ambedkar Nagar, befriended the teenager on the pretence of marriage while concealing the fact that he was already and had three children.

The victim, a police recruitment candidate from Nacharam, was cheated by the accused with fake promises of love and commitment. Mahendar allegedly attacked her at his house and threatened her to remain silent over the abuse.

The teenager, whose identity has been withheld, discovered her pregnancy and confronted Mahendar. Distraught by his rejection and the betrayal, she slipped into depression and took her own life on July 2 at her home in Nacharam. Her family lodged a complaint, prompting swift action from the authorities.

Nacharam police inspector G Rudvir Kumar confirmed that Mahendar, who has a previous criminal history that includes a case under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, was charged with rape and abetment of suicide under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). He was produced before a magistrate on July 3 and sent to judicial custody at Cherlapally Jail.