Amaravati, February 18 – The body of the suspect in the rape and murder of a seven-year-old girl was found in a lake in Annamayya district, Andhra Pradesh, on Wednesday, police said.
Kulavardhan (30) was found dead in a lake in the village of Kanasanipalli, in the Kuralabalakota mandal.
Locals discovered the body and alerted the police. The body was taken to the government hospital in Madanapalle for post-mortem examination.
Kulavardhan is suspected to have committed suicide. The police have registered a case and are investigating the matter.
His body was found hours after the police launched a massive search for him.
On Tuesday, the body of a seven-year-old girl was found in a drum at Kulavardhan’s house.
The child, the daughter of a local handloom worker, had gone missing on Monday. She was a second-grade student at a school in Madanapalle and was playing near her house as the school was closed due to a holiday.
Her parents, who were away on work, started searching when they could not find her upon their return in the evening. After being unable to locate her, they filed a complaint with the police.
Kulavardhan, the victim's neighbor, had a criminal record. A police officer went to his house as part of the investigation. The house was locked from the inside, and when there was no response to the knocking, the officer peered through the window and found Kulavardhan asleep.
The officer left the place, but the next morning, when the victim's grandfather told the police that she had last been seen with Kulavardhan, the police entered the house and found the girl's body in the drum.
The victim was allegedly raped and strangled to death.
The incident sparked outrage, with locals demanding justice for the victim, the daughter of a handloom worker.
Demanding strict action against the accused, the locals staged a sit-in on the National Highway, bringing vehicular traffic to a standstill for several hours. They withdrew the protest after receiving assurances from District SP K Dheeraj that the accused would be brought to justice.
Madanapalle MLA Shahjahan Basha expressed deep grief over the incident. He spoke to the victim's parents over the phone and assured them of full support from the government.
The police launched a massive search for the prime suspect, but on Wednesday, he was found dead in a lake in a nearby village.