A man wanted in the case of rape and murder of a six-year old girl in Hyderabad allegedly committed suicide. His body was found on a railway track in Jangaon district on Thursday morning. The police said it is a clear case of suicide.
The six-year-old girl was molested and killed by Raju in Singareni Collieries Colony in Hyderabad a week ago. The incident sparked massive outrage in the state. The government was under fire for the failure of the police.
Police had announced reward of Rs 10 lakh for information leading to the arrest of the fugitive. Several teams comprising 500 police personnel were formed to nab the accused. Lookout notices sprang in all the public places and CC footage was also thoroughly checked. However, the body of Raju (30) was found on the railway tracks near Ghanpur station in the erstwhile Warangal district on Thursday.
Two railway employees saw a man walking on the track in the morning. When the railway personnel continue with their duty, the youth suddenly jumped in front of a running train. The body was identified by the police.
The body was reportedly identified with the tattoo 'Mounika' on his both hands. The accused killed himself as police were on a massive manhunt following a public outrage over the horrific incident in Singareni Colony in Saidabad area.
The child went missing on September 9 from her house. Her body was later found in the house of her neighbour Raju. The autopsy report revealed that she was sexually assaulted and strangled to death.
Minister for labour Malla Reddy had also made a sensational comment that the culprit will be caught and killed in encounter.
Telangana's minister for industry KT Rama Rao also tweeted about the accused's suicide
“Just been informed by @TelanganaDGP Garu that the beast who raped the child has been traced & found dead on a railway track at station Ghanpur,” tweeted the minister who had earlier come under criticism for tweeting that the accused was arrested.
The minister later regretted the erroneous statement saying he was misinformed.
On Thursday, Telangana Ministers Mohammed Mahmood Ali and Satyavathi Rathod met the deceased girl's parents and offered them a cheque for Rs 20 lakh as ex-gratia.
The ministers 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.
(With agency inputs)
