A five-year-old girl was kidnapped and killed after leaving a clubhouse during a community celebration at Villa Orchids, a gated residential complex in Kowkoor, Bollaram, Hyderabad, on Saturday night, police said. The accused allegedly continued making ransom calls to the family even after the child had been killed.
The victim, identified as Aurelia, had gone to the clubhouse to watch Bathukamma celebrations organised within the community. Her family realised she was missing at about 7.30 pm. At 7.45 pm, her grandfather received a call from an unknown person demanding Rs 20 lakh and claiming that the family’s son was in his custody.
The caller later contacted Aurelia’s father, Milton Fernandes Moses, a research scientist at an agriculture-based company, and claimed that his daughter was being held captive. The family told the caller that it could not pay the full ransom and asked to see the girl on a video call. The caller refused and instead asked them to transfer money to a bank account, according to the report.
After the family informed the police, residents and investigators examined CCTV footage from the gated community. The footage showed Aurelia leaving the clubhouse, followed by a man a short distance away. Police traced the phone number used for the ransom calls to a security guard working at the community.
The guard told investigators that a former employee named Vikram, who is from Bihar, had entered the premises and used his phone to make the calls. Another CCTV clip allegedly showed Vikram signalling to the guard while leaving the community. Vikram had reportedly been dismissed a few days earlier over allegations of poor conduct.
Based on information provided by the guard on duty, residents and police searched the clubhouse cellar, where Aurelia’s body was found in a water sump. Police said her hands and legs were tied and bricks had been attached around her waist. The report did not state whether Vikram had been arrested at the time of publication.
Police took all security guards currently working at the gated community into custody for questioning. Drones were deployed in Secunderabad and other parts of Hyderabad, while special teams were sent to Patancheru and other areas to search for Vikram, who is wanted in connection with the case.
The incident has intensified concern among residents about security arrangements inside gated communities, particularly the monitoring of former workers, access to residential premises and the coverage of CCTV systems. The family has demanded justice and urged officials to punish those responsible. The police search and questioning of security personnel were continuing, according to the report.
