GUNTUR: An army jawan opened fire on the mother of his beau in Nadimpalle village of Cherukupalle mandal, Guntur district, early on Saturday to take revenge after she filed a police complaint accusing him of sexually assaulting her daughter. Luckily, the woman escaped without any major injuries as the bullet just scratched her ear. The assaulter, Y Balaji, 25, shot her with a country-made weapon and fled. The police are on the lookout for him.
Repalle Circle Inspector G Srinivas Rao said Balaji works as an army jawan in Jammu and Kashmir, and is a distant relative of the woman. He met her daughter at an event and they fell in love, Rao added.
When Balaji came home on leave in December, the couple started spending time together and were caught by the police in a lodge at night during a routine check. On hearing about this, the girl’s mother lodged a complaint with the police, claiming Balaji had sexually assaulted her daughter. He was subsequently arrested and sent to jail.
After coming out of jail, Balaji went to the woman’s house along with his relatives, got into a quarrel with her, and refused to marry the girl. Then, early on Saturday, he went to her house again and knocked. When the woman opened the door, Balaji opened fire and the woman moved away just in time. As the neighbours rushed to the spot, Balaji abandoned his weapon and bag and fled. On being alerted, the police reached the spot and seized the gun and other evidence. A case was registered and special teams were formed to nab Balaji. Meanwhile, the alleged sexual assault by Balaji is also being investigated and the Bapatla police are awaiting the forensic reports.