KADAPA: The teenager, who was set ablaze by a youngster in Gopavaram mandal of YSR district on Saturday, succumbed to her injuries early on Sunday while undergoing treatment at RIMS Hospital, Kadapa.
Police arrested the accused, identified as Vignesh Jakkala (19), a few hours after the incident. Police had formed four special teams and nabbed the accused soon after the incident came to light.
Elaborating on the incident, Kadapa Superintendent of Police V Harshavardhan Raju said the horrific incident occurred on October 19 in a forest area near PP Kunta in Gopavaram mandal.
Preliminary investigation revealed that the victim, a 16-year-old student of a private college in Badvel, was allegedly in a relationship with Vignesh, who had married another woman around six months ago. The accused lured the girl to the forest, where he assaulted her, set her on fire and fled the scene. During interrogation, Vignesh admitted that he committed the crime as the girl had been asking him to marry her.
With the help of police, the victim managed to reach Badvel Hospital and was later shifted to RIMS Kadapa. She suffered 80% burns. She breathed her last in the wee hours of Sunday. “Our teams acted swiftly and located the suspect. He was apprehended on the outskirts of Kadapa on Sunday,” the SP said.
Vignesh meticulously planned the attack: SP
Sharing details on how they tracked the accused, SP Raju explained that police discovered critical forensic evidence, including CCTV footage from a petrol station that confirmed the suspect’s presence on the day of the incident. The police also recovered the petrol bottle used in the crime and other forensic evidence from the scene. Badvel Rural Police launched a thorough investigation to gather solid evidence against the accused.
“Preliminary investigations revealed that Vignesh meticulously planned the attack, leaving his mobile phone at home and instead using his wife’s phone to avoid getting caught. During interrogation, he admitted that he committed the crime as the girl had been asking him to marry her. On his way to meet her, he stopped at a petrol station near Alankhanpalli to refuel his bike. He filled a bottle with petrol and concealed it in his bag. After assaulting her, the duo had an argument. Subsequently, he strangled her and set her ablaze. Thereafter, he fled the scene in an auto,” the SP said.
The police seized clothes belonging to both the accused and the victim, the girl’s schoolbooks, a half-burnt petrol bottle, and a cigarette butt discarded by the suspect at the crime scene. Expressing regret over the incident, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu directed the district police officials to complete probe soon and ensure that the accused is punished severely.