Telangana: Minor girl's rape-murder accused found dead on rail tracks
A man wanted in the case of rape and murder of a six-year-old girl in Hyderabad allegedly died by suicide with his body being found on a railway track in Jangaon district on Thursday morning. The incident happened two days after Telangana Labor Minister Ch Malla Reddy had said that the accused would be caught and that there should be an "encounter" against him.
Girl was raped and murdered at Saidabad on September 9
"It (the incident) is terrible. There should be an incident against him (accused). He will definitely be caught. (We) will do encounter. There is no question of leaving him," Reddy had told reporters on Tuesday. The girl was allegedly raped and murdered in a neighboring house at Saidabad in Hyderabad on the evening of September 9.
This looks to be a clear case of suicide: Police
"Based on preliminary investigation, the accused P Raju, aged 30, was found walking on the track by gangmen, who asked him to move aside from the track, but he did not and was hit by a passenger train at around 8:45 am," a police official said. "This looks to be a clear case of suicide as of now," Warangal Police Commissioner Tarun Joshi said.
Deceased was identified based on the tattoos on his hands
"Police after being informed reached the spot and after verification established the identity of the deceased, based on the tattoos on his hands and some other marks to be that of the accused wanted in the rape and murder case," the Commissioner said.
The incident had triggered protests by residents
"The body would be shifted to MGM government hospital in Warangal and after inquest and post-mortem, the body would be handed over to the family members," the senior official said. "Further investigation would continue," he added. The incident last week triggered protests by residents of the locality who had raised slogans and demanded justice and quick arrest of the culprit.
Accused was an alcoholic and slept on pavements: Police
Hyderabad Police Commissioner Anjani Kumar on Tuesday declared a reward of Rs. 10 lakh to any person who gave information/clue leading to arrest of the absconding accused. Police earlier said the accused was used to taking alcohol and sleeping at pavements and bus stands. On Thursday, Telangana Ministers Mohammed Mahmood Ali and Satyavathi Rathod met the parents of the six-year-old girl.
Ministers offered Rs. 20L ex-gratia to the girl's family
The ministers offered them a cheque for Rs. 20 lakh as ex-gratia. They also assured support and help from the state government and stringent action against the culprit as per law and justice rendered as expeditiously possible, an official release said.
