COIMBATORE: Nilgiris district police arrested a 25-year-old man in connection with the murder of a 14-year-old girl. The accused surrendered before the VAO of Nanjanadu village on Wednesday. The girl from the Toda tribe was found dead in Angurboard on Monday evening. The accused, who is her relative, was booked for murder and attempted sexual assault.
According to police, the accused picked up the girl, who was a Class 9 student, from school on the pretext of dropping her home on Monday evening. Around 6 pm, parents started searching for the girl as she did not reach home. Around 6.30 pm, Pykara police found a body near bushes in Angurboard junction and alerted the locals. The parents rushed to the spot and confirmed that it was their daughter.
A preliminary investigation revealed she was strangulated to death. The girl’s body was taken to Udhagamandalam Government Hospital for postmortem examination. Villagers informed police that they spotted the suspect in that area. Based on the details, Pykara police started searching for the suspect who is also from Toda tribe and stayed in a village nearby. On Wednesday, he surrendered.
He has been booked under Sections 7 (Sexual assault) and 8 of the POCSO Act and Section 302 (Punishment for murder) of the IPC. Speaking to TNIE, Selvaraj, Deputy Superintendent of Police said, “The accused took her to the isolated place. When the girl resisted him, he strangulated her and she lost consciousness. Following that, he attempted to sexually assault her. At the time, he heard a bike sound. He hit her head on ground for eight times till she died and left the place.”