27-yr-old accused of raping, killing minor dies by suicide

THe 27-year-old adult male, who was arrested on tues for allegedly raping and murdering a seven-year-old young lady in Andhra Pradesh’s Annamayya territory, was found deadened in a tank under suspicious circumstances on Wednesday mor ning, a top police official said, adding preliminary investigation indicated that the accused died by suicide.District superintendent of police Dheeraj Kunubilli told reporters that the police had recovered the body of an unidentified man in a tank on Wednesday morning at Kanasanipalle village. “The body was later identified by relatives as that of the prime accused in the minor’s rape and murder case,” he said.The body of the accused had been shifted to the government hospital at Madanapalle for post-mortem and would be handed over to the relatives subsequently, the SP said.Kunubilli said the accused had been taken into custody on Tuesday from his residence and was being transported to the police station when he escaped from police personnel. “He managed to escape while being shifted in a Rakshak police vehicle. Three special teams were immediately formed and launched extensive search operations to trace him,” the SP said.During the search operation, police received information on Wednesday morning about a body floating in the Kanasanapalli tank. On reaching the spot, police retrieved the body and later confirmed that it was that of the accused.“Preliminary investigation indicates that he may have died by suicide by jumping into the tank,” the SP added, noting that further inquiry is underway.The seven-year-old girl went missing on Sunday and the family lodged a missing complaint on Monday morning.On the examination of a network of CCTV cameras installed across the town, the police found that a 27-year-old man residing opposite the victim’s house had allegedly lured the child into his residence.Based on this lead, they went to the suspect’s house on Tuesday morning and discovered the minor’s body concealed inside a drum meant for storing water. The accused, who was present at his residence, was immediately taken into custody.The SP confirmed that the girl was subject to sexual assault by the accused, before being murdered and stashed in the drum. “Maybe, the accused was afraid of getting exposed and hence, died by suicide,” he said.State home minister Vangalapudi Anitha said the government had taken serious note of the incident. “According to the information we received, the accused was addicted to drugs and he might have committed the crime under the influence of narcotics,” she said.