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Raichur case accused was in Mantralaya the day girl went missing

BENGALURU: Criminal Investigation Department (CID) sleuths, probing the death of a 21-year-old college student in Raichur , suspect it to be a case of suicide based on the forensic report. Though the CID is yet to issue a formal statement, sources said the girl hanged herself, following an argument with her friend Sudarshan Yadav, who is in police custody.




The student's death had triggered protests across the state after her parents accused Yadav of raping and murdering her. However, probe revealed that Yadav had gone to Mantralaya, a pilgrim centre near Raichur, when the girl went missing.

The girl had gone missing on April 13 after she left home for college. Her body was found on April 16 and a suicide note written in Kannada was found nearby. According to the note, she was taking the extreme step due to academic failure. However, the girl's family claimed it was fabricated and she had been doing well in her studies. To examine her handwriting, cops have checked her II PU final exam answerscripts.

According to Yadav, he suspected something was amiss when he learnt that the girl had disappeared from the college without attending the exams. Yadav visited Mantralaya, 60km from Raichur, thinking she might have gone there. "CCTV footage showed Yadav walking in the lanes of Mantralaya on the afternoon of April 13. Accompanied by a friend, Yadav went around the temple town. After spending nearly three hours, he returned in the evening," sources told TOI .

Sources said the postmortem report indicates that there was no sexual harassment or rape. Also, the scars on her body were due to exposure to sun, not fire. "It's a preliminary report. Conclusions can be drawn only after the forensic science laboratory releases the report," an official said.

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