PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE /Dehradun
In an appalling crime, an 18-year-old female Class 12 student was murdered with her throat slit, fingers cut, nose mutilated and face bludgeoned with a heavy stone. The disfigured, blood-splattered body was found in Dehradun’s Vikasnagar area. “The body of the girl was found lying in bushes near Dalipur Shakti Canal, around 300–400 metres from her village, on Thursday morning. The victim was identified as Manisha Tomar,” said a police officer investigating the case. Police further said that the crime was suspected to have been committed by her cousin, who is currently absconding. The deceased’s father Anand Singh lodged the FIR against her cousin, Surendar alias Mando.
According to police, Manisha went to Vikasnagar on Wednesday evening with Surendar on a motorcycle to buy toothache medicine. When she did not return home till late night, her family started searching for her but she was not found. The next morning, the villagers spotted her body lying in bushes near the canal and informed police.
Police further said that the condition under which the body was found was extremely disturbing. “A sickle and a motorcycle were recovered from near the spot. Blood stains were also found at the spot, indicating that the murder had been committed there,” a police officer said.
The senior superintendent of police, Ajai Singh visited the spot and said that as per the initial investigation, the sickle-the murder weapon-was purchased a few days earlier by Surendar from a shop in Vikasnagar.
The CCTV footage from a petrol pump showed the girl and her cousin riding the motorcycle together after which no further location was traced. “The cousin is currently absconding. He seems to be the only suspect,” he said.
Police say that after committing the murder, the accused might have jumped into the nearby canal to escape. An SDRF team has been deployed thus to conduct a search operation in the canal. He is still untraced, as per police.
The body has been sent for post-mortem examination.
