The Hyderabad police would move the juvenile justice board seeking the trial of the five minors in the sensational Jubilee Hills gang-rape case as adults, as per the provisions of the amended juvenile justice law.
Out of the six accused, four are of 16-17 years age, while one is only one month short of becoming an adult. All of them were earlier apprehended.
The intention of the city police probing the case was welcomed by Telangana's IT and industries minister K T Rama Rao.
“I welcome and support the stand of Hyderabad cops. If you are adult enough to commit a crime as heinous as rape, one must also be punished as an adult and not as a juvenile,” Rao, who is the son of chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao and also the TRS's working president, tweeted on Thursday.
One accused, (18), Saduddin Malik was given three-day police custody on Thursday for examination in the heinous crime.
All the offenders who raped a 17-year-old girl, after abducting her from a pub in an official car on May 28, are from politically influential families. One of the accused is a son of an AIMIM MLA, while another is son of the Telangana Waqf Board chairman.
Facing public ire and the onslaught from BJP, Congress, the TRS leadership has reportedly asked the Waqf board top functionary to step down from the post.
Revealing the details of the crime on Tuesday night, Hyderabad police commissioner said that five accused could face life imprisonment till death or not less than 20 years in jail for the heinous crime.
The A6, the juvenile son of the MLA, did not take part in the rape but sexually molested the girl in a luxury car. He could get 5-7 years imprisonment.