After a gruelling 36-hour investigation, the Chittoor police on Monday morning arrested the man who was guilty of raping and murdering an 18-year-old girl at Diguvapunepalle village of Penumuru mandal. The body of the girl, a cattle-rearer, was found near Neeva river on Saturday evening.
SP Ghattamaneni Srinivas said it was not a gang-rape, but a crime committed by a single person. Inspector-General (Law and Order) Harish Kumar Gupta and DIG (Anantapur) B. Balakrishna were also present.
Police said Udaykumar alias Kumar (23) of the same village, who personally knew the victim, had found her rearing cattle at an isolated location near the river on Saturday afternoon. When the girl resisted his sexual overtures, he dragged her into the bushes and raped her. When the girl threatened to expose him, Udaykumar snapped her waist thread (Molathadu) and strangulated her with it.
Hearing the girl’s shrieks, an old woman, who was passing by, rushed to the spot, but the youth threatened her, saying she would also meet with the same fate. Later, Udaykumar fled the scene on his motorbike. Police commenced investigation on Saturday evening, pressing clues team and a dog squad, two DSPs, four Circle-Inspectors, 10 Sub-Inspectors and two dozen constables into service.
Mr. Srinivas said the success of the operation was partly owing to the brilliant work done by sniffer dog Maggie.
