A 23-year-old man was arrested on charges of abetting the suicide of a college student and disposing of her body in a farm well at Gobichettipalayam in Erode.
The police said that K. Swetha (21) of Nayakankadu, a third year B.Sc. student at a private college at Gobichettipalayam, left home on March 28 and did not return. Her mother lodged a complaint with the police on March 30 and a missing case was registered.
On March 30, a body wrapped in a gunny bag was found floating in a well at Kongarpalayam. Bungalow Pudur police recovered the body and identified it as the missing woman. The body had strangulation marks and the hands and legs were found tied. Initially, the police suspected it to be a case of murder. The body was taken to Government Erode Medical College and Hospital at Perundurai for postmortem.
Autopsy report revealed that the woman was four months pregnant at the time of death.
The police picked up V. Lokesh (23) of Kongarpalayam, a post graduate student, for inquiry.
Inquiries revealed that Lokesh and Swetha were college mates and were allegedly in a relationship. As he refused to marry her, she ended her life at her grandfather’s house. Lokesh found the body, wrapped it in a bag and dumped it in the well, police said.
Lokesh was arrested, produced in a court and lodged in prison.
(Assistance for overcoming suicidal thoughts is available on the State’s health helpline 104, Tele-MANAS 14416 and Sneha’s suicide prevention helpline 044-24640050. )
