Andhra horror: Suspect in minor girl’s rape, murder found dead

The prime suspect in the rape and murder of a seven-year-old girl in Annamayya district was found dead in a lake on Wednesday. Following a massive manhunt, police suspect Kulavardhan died by suicide after the victim's body was discovered at his home

Amaravati: The body of the suspect in the rape and murder of a seven-year-old girl was found in a lake in Andhra Pradesh’s Annamayya district on Wednesday, police said.

Kulavardhan (30) found dead in a lake in Kanasanipalli village Kuralabalakota mandal. The locals found the body and alerted police. The body was shifted to government hospital in Madanapalle town for post-mortem examination.

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Kulavardhan is suspected to have died by suicide. Police registered a case and took up investigation. His body was found hours after police launched a massive manhunt for him.

On Tuesday, the body of a seven-year-old girl was recovered from a drum at Kulavardhan’s house. The child, the daughter of a local handloom worker, went missing on Monday.

A student of second class at a school in Madanapalle, the girl was playing near her house as the school was closed on account of holiday. The parents, who were away on work, started the search when they did not find her on their return in the evening. As she could not be traced, they lodged a complaint with the police.

As Kulavardhan, the victim’s neighbour, had a criminal record, a policeman went to his house as part of the investigation. The house was locked from inside and when there was no response to the door-knock, the cop peeped through the window and found Kulavardhan asleep.

The policeman left the place but the next morning when the victim’s grandfather told police that she was last seen with Kulavardhan, police entered the house and found the girl’s body in the drum. The victim was allegedly raped and strangled to death.

The incident triggered outrage with locals demanding justice for the victim, daughter of handloom worker. Demanding stringent action against the accused, locals staged a sit-in on the National Highway, bringing vehicular traffic to a grinding halt for several hours.

They withdrew the protest following an assurance given by the district SP K Dheeraj that the accused would be brought to book. Madanapalle MLA Shahjahan Basha expressed deep anguish over the incident. The MLA spoke to the victim’s parents over the phone, and assured them of full support from the government.

Police launched a massive hunt for the prime suspect but on Wednesday he was found dead in a lake in a nearby village.