A man found dead on railway tracks could be the suspect in the rape and murder of a six-year-old girl in Hyderabad, the police said today. The police called it a suspected suicide and said the man was believed to be Pallakonda Raju, who had been missing since the child's body was found inside his home on Sunday.
The body was found the same day as the child went missing - last Thursday -- said Hyderabad Police Commissioner Anjani Kumar. "It appears to be suicide," he told NDTV.
The Telangana police shared images of the man's body on Twitter. Though the body has yet to be identified, the police said he had the same tattoos as the rape-murder suspect.
#AttentionPlease : The accused of "Child Sexual Molestation and murder @ Singareni Colony, found dead on the railway track, in the limits of #StationGhanpurPoliceStation.
Declared after the verification of identification marks on deceased body. pic.twitter.com/qCPLG9dCCE
"We have reasons to think it is the suspect - tattoo marks on hands, name tattooed on his hand, his hair style...A fingerprint analysis will confirm it," the Hyderabad police chief said.
News of the death comes two days after Telangana Minister Malla Reddy's comment that the accused "will be killed in an encounter".
"We will catch the rapist and murderer. There will be an encounter after he is caught," Mr Reddy had told reporters in Hyderabad on Tuesday.
The police had released a photo of the suspect and had announced a reward of Rs 10 lakh for the 30-year-old, who was a neighbour of the child he allegedly raped and killed.
The girl was found dead inside Raju's house on Sunday and he had been missing since.
AdvertisementThe girl went missing from her home in Singareni Colony in Hyderabad on September 9 (Thursday). Her body was found in the house of the neighbour the next day, wrapped in a bedsheet. An autopsy confirmed that she was sexually assaulted and strangled.
Initial reports had said the accused had been arrested. But when it emerged that the information was false, there were massive protests and tension in the area, with residents of the colony demanding justice for the girl and her family. Some even demanded "an encounter", referring to criminals shot dead by the police.
AdvertisementMinister KT Rama Rao, retracting his previous tweet announcing the arrest, sought public cooperation to catch him.
"Would like to correct my tweet below. I was misinformed that he was arrested. Regret the erroneous statement. The perpetrator is absconding and Hyderabad police has launched a massive manhunt for him. Let's all make our best efforts to ensure he's nabbed and brought to justice quickly," Mr Rao posted, with a screenshot of his earlier tweet.
Would like to correct my tweet below. I was misinformed that he was arrested. Regret the erroneous statement
The perpetrator is absconding & @hydcitypolice has launched a massive manhunt for him
Let's all make our best efforts to ensure he's nabbed & brought to justice quickly https://t.co/IVz9Ri7jzn
— KTR (@KTRTRS) September 14, 2021Several politicians, activists, and even film stars expressed anger and shock and social media users appealed for justice for the girl and her family.
