The Tamil Nadu police detained an upper caste man on Friday, two days after his Dalit girlfriend was found hanging in a village near Kancheepuram district, reported The News Minute.
The woman, who went missing on November 21, was found dead in a private park near her house on November 27. The woman’s family has alleged that there were burn marks, stab injuries and bruises on her body.
“We have detained Rajesh from his house in Karai, a nearby village,” said an unidentified police officer. “Inquiries are underway and we are waiting for the postmortem report.” He has been booked under Section 306 (abetment to suicide) of the Indian Penal Code and various sections under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. The police are waiting for the post-mortem report to ascertain if she was raped.
The woman’s father, who had lodged a missing complaint on November 23, had told the police that he suspects Rajesh to be behind her death. “Rajesh and my daughter were in a relationship for the past one year,” he said in his complaint, according to Hindustan Times. “I objected to the relationship as he is from an upper caste. But my daughter did not listen to me. After she went missing, my younger son contacted Rajesh, who told him that he had destroyed my daughter and dared us to do whatever that we could. I suspect Rajesh murdered my daughter.” Rajesh belongs to the Vanniyar caste.
The woman’s family said Rajesh used to work with her in the same private export company in Walajabad. They also claimed that Rajesh is married and has a child.
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