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Principal of PU college booked for rape and murder of 17-year-old
Raichur police on Saturday booked the principal of a private pre-university college on charges of rape and murder of a 17-year-old girl student of the same college
Raichur police on Saturday booked the principal of a private pre-university college on charges of rape and murder of a 17-year-old girl student of the same college.
The first information report (FIR), lodged based on a complaint filed by the victim’s relative, said that the girl was studying in a private college.
Apart from being the principal, the accused was the warden of the girl’s hostel, the FIR added.
As per the complaint, the victim used to harass the victim, a first-year pre-university student in the science stream who lived in the hostel.
On Friday, at around 5.45 pm, the girl was found hanging from a veil tied to the ceiling fan, police said.
A day after that, the parents and relatives of the girl staged a protest outside the college, alleging that the principal was responsible for the rape and murder of the girl. They demanded that he must be arrested on charges of rape and murder, they added.
The FIR said that the accused previously, too, subjected the victim to sexual harassment after calling her to his room. The girl’s uncle, who filed the complaint with police, told reporters that the victim complained to her parents for three months that the accused had called her into his room when he was alone and harassed her sexually.
“We told her we will shift her to another college after she finished the academic year,” he said.
The relative went on to allege that even on Friday, the principal called her to his room, raped and murdered her. “Soon after the incident, he fled from the scene and absconded, which proves he is guilty. We urged the police to arrest the accused soon and give severe punishment,” he added.
“We have received a complaint alleging rape and murder by the college principal. Lingasuguru police booked the accused under section 302 (murder) and 376 (rape) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and SC/ST atrocity prevention act since the victim is from the Scheduled Caste community,’’ Raichur SP B Nikhil said.
Local police said that police have also registered cases under sections 4 and 6 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (Pocso).
“The body was sent for an autopsy at taluk hospital. The medical officers confirmed that prima facie, it is not murder as no injury mark was found anywhere in the body. We are waiting for the autopsy report and would take action accordingly he said. A police team headed by an inspector searching for the accused, we have definite clues about his hideout and would nab the accused tonight,” the SP added.
