Indore (Madhya Pradesh): A former student accused of setting ablaze and killing a pharmacy college principal in Indore in Madhya Pradesh last month has been identified by the persons who sold him a bucket and pipe used to commit the grisly crime, a police official said on Thursday.
Ashutosh Srivastava (24) had allegedly poured petrol on BM College of Pharmacy Principal Dr Vimukta Sharma on February 20, and she died on February 25 after battling 80 per cent burns, police had said.
Simrol police station in charge Rajesh Kumar Dubey said that the accused had purchased a bucket and pipe from Tejaji Nagar area, some 10 kilometres from the scene of crime, and he had poured petrol in this bucket after taking it out of a motorcycle using a pipe.
"We have got the identity parade done in jail in the presence of the executive magistrate. The people from whom Srivastava bought the bucket and pipe have identified him," Dubey said.
"Our probe is almost complete. We are trying to file a chargesheet in the case in Mhow court by March 13," Dubey said, adding the fact that he purchased these items from 10 kilometres way showed he had planned it as part of a conspiracy.
As per the police probe, Srivastava claimed he had cleared his B.Pharm exam from the college in July last year but authorities at the educational institution were not giving him his marksheet.
College authorities have refuted this claim and said Srivastava never turned up to collect it despite several reminders.
Srivastava was arrested on the day of the incident for murder and other offences under the Indian Penal Code, while the stringent National Security Act was also invoke against him, as per police.
