Man held for murder of 17-year-old girl missing since April in UP’s Meerut

Meerut police solved the disappearance of 17-year-old student and kabaddi player Anushka alias Riya, arresting a 42-year-old man who allegedly killed her over a money dispute and dumped her body in a drain after evading authorities for weeks

Meerut: Police have solved the murder of a 17-year-old girl who had been missing for nearly one-and-a-half months in Meerut district, arresting a 42-year-old man who allegedly killed her over a monetary dispute and dumped her body in a drain, officials said on Monday.

The victim, Anushka alias Riya, a class 12 student and kabaddi player, had been missing since April 16.

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Her father, Nempal, a resident of Chirauri village in the Daurala area, lodged a missing person’s complaint at Kankarkhera police station on April 28.

Police said the teenager was studying at a school near the Kankarkhera bypass and was living in rented accommodation in Shobhapur.

Following directions from senior police officials, three teams were formed to investigate the case with the help of technical surveillance and intelligence inputs.

During the probe, suspicion fell on Shyam Dhanak (42), who allegedly evaded police questioning and went into hiding in the Chandigarh-Mohali region, switching off his communication devices.

Based on technical evidence and intelligence inputs, police tracked down and arrested him on Sunday.

During interrogation, Dhanak told police that he worked and lived at a fast-food outlet near Shobhapur Cut and was acquainted with the victim.

He told police that the girl had borrowed money from him and a dispute arose when he demanded its return.

According to police, the accused allegedly attacked the teenager with a brick, killing her on the spot, before stuffing her body into a sack and dumped it in a drain near the Rohta bypass road.

The body was recovered on the accused’s identification on Sunday, police said.

Police said additional charges are being invoked on the basis of evidence collected during the investigation and further legal proceedings are underway.