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Telangana HC orders probe into death of Hyderabad rape-murder suspect
The man’s mutilated body was found on the railway tracks near Station Ghanpur of Jangaon district on Thursday morning. While the Telangana police said it was a clear case of suicide, the family of the deceased alleged it was a murder by the police
The Telangana high court on Friday ordered a judicial inquiry into the death of the 30-year-old man suspected in the alleged rape and murder of a six-year-old tribal girl in Hyderabad last week.
The man’s mutilated body was found on the railway tracks near Station Ghanpur of Jangaon district on Thursday morning. While the Telangana police said it was a clear case of suicide, the family of the deceased alleged it was a murder by the police.
On Friday, Telangana state civil liberties committee secretary G Laxman moved a lunch-motion petition before the state high court expressing doubts over the manner in which the accused died. He alleged that the police killed the man and called it a suicide.
The high court bench, comprising acting chief justice MS Ramachandar Rao and justice T Amarnath Goud then ordered a judicial inquiry.
The high court appointed Third Metropolitan Magistrate of Warangal court as the judicial officer to conduct the inquiry and submit his report in a sealed cover within four weeks.
The high court bench ordered that all the videos be submitted to the judicial officer in Warangal by 8pm on Saturday.
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At a press conference earlier, director general of police M Mahender Reddy said there was no foul play. “There were witnesses to the incident, including railway workers and locals. Even the versions of the Konark Express loco pilots were recorded. It is not correct to make baseless allegations against the police,” he said.
The deceased was on the run since the night of September 9, when the Hyderabad police found the body of the six-year-old girl in his room at Saidabad, following a complaint lodged by her parents that she was missing. Post-mortem report revealed that she was raped and strangled to death.
The Hyderabad Police, which booked a case of murder and rape case, besides under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012, formed 15 special teams to track down the suspect.
They also widely circulated his details, particularly the tattoos on his arms. They also announced a cash reward of ₹10 lakh for those giving information about him. A week later, his body was found on railway tracks near Station Ghanpur. The body was cremated by his family late on Thursday following a post-mortem.
