An 18-year-old college girl was found brutally murdered at Apparasamputhur near Porayar in Nagapattinam district on Tuesday morning.
The victim, R. Deepika, was pursuing B.A Tamil Literature in an arts and science college in Poompuhar. Her body was found near Rajendran Canal in Apparasamputhur. Her forehead was found to have been mutilated with a sharp object.
According to police sources, Deepika, who was staying with her mother Sumathi, went out from her house on Monday night. She did not return home.
Sumathi tried to contact her over mobile phone, but there was no response. Later, on information that a woman’s body was found near the canal, the police and revenue officials visited the spot. The deceased was identified as Deepika and her body was sent to Myladuthurai GH for a post-mortem. The police also recovered the handle of a spade near the canal. A sniffer dog and forensic experts were pressed into service at the scene of crime. Superintendent of Police M. Durai inspected the spot. Deepika’s father Ravichandran, who was the lone breadwinner of the family, died a few months ago. After his death, Sumathi had been running the family. She was managing her daughter’s education with the meagre income she earned by working as daily wage labourer. The police said the motive behind the murder was yet to be established. “Special teams have been formed to crack the case. Investigation is under way and we are following the leads. Enquiries are being held with a few of her classmates. We also need to enquire with a few relatives of the girl,” said Mr.Durai.
