A 19-year-old college student was tragically murdered in Mandi, Himachal Pradesh, prompting a police investigation and the arrest of a suspect as the community demands justice.
A 19-year-old college girl was killed on Monday by two bike-borne assailants, who allegedly slit her throat in Mandi district, police said.
The police arrested Rishu Patial, 36, a resident of Thiron village in Mandi's Gopalpur, they said.
The incident occurred when the girl, Siya Guleria, was on her way to college. At that time, two unidentified assailants, riding on a bike, intercepted her and brutally assaulted her with a sharp weapon, slitting her throat, police said.
While the girl succumbed to injuries on the spot, the accused then fled from the scene.
Upon receiving the information, the police reached the spot and recovered the body. In the meantime, locals found the accused, who has been hiding in nearby fields. Locals said that he even tried to attack them with the weapon used in the murder, but they were successful in taking him down.
The enraged villagers then recovered the weapon and immediately informed the police. The situation got tense as locals demanded the accused be hanged while the police team took his custody and assured strict action against him.
Mandi Superintendent of Police, Vinod Kumar, said a case under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita has been registered and further investigation is underway. He also said that the exact cause of the crime is being ascertained as police are interrogating the accused.