Hyderabad: The Pahadishareef Police, with the assistance of the Shamshabad Zonal Task Force, have arrested a 34-year-old man in connection with the alleged rape and murder of a 21-year-old woman in Thukkuguda, police said on Monday.

According to the police, the accused, Mohd. Sanaullah (34), a bike mechanic originally from Begusarai district of Bihar and currently residing at Thukkuguda, was apprehended on the evening of August 30, within 30 hours of the complaint being lodged.

The case has been registered at Pahadishareef Police Station under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989.

Complaint and Discovery

Police said the victim, a 21-year-old nurse, had come to Hyderabad around seven months ago along with a friend and was employed at Prime Care Hospital, Thukkuguda, where the two were also staying in staff accommodation.

On August 29, the victim’s roommate noticed that she had not come out of her room since morning and did not respond despite repeated knocks. After entering the room through a window, she found the victim lying unconscious with severe facial injuries. The victim’s aunt later lodged a complaint with the police, suspecting that an unidentified person had assaulted and killed her.

Investigation and Arrest

Based on technical evidence and leads developed during the investigation, police identified and arrested the accused within 30 hours.

According to investigators, the accused had allegedly been observing the victim for about a month after noticing her through a window near the bike repair shop where he worked. Police allege that he entered the victim’s room through a window during the intervening night of August 28 and 29 with the intention of sexually assaulting her.

Police said that when the victim resisted, a struggle ensued during which she allegedly bit the accused’s finger and scratched him. Investigators allege that the accused then assaulted and strangled the victim before sexually assaulting her and fleeing the scene.

Evidence Seized

Police have seized a Samsung mobile phone and the clothes worn by the accused as part of the investigation. Officials said further scientific, forensic and technical evidence is being collected and analysed.

The arrest was made under the supervision of Hyderabad Police Commissioner V.C. Sajjanar, IPS, and the guidance of Shamshabad Zone Deputy Commissioner of Police B. Rajesh and RGIA Division Assistant Commissioner of Police V. Srikanth Goud. The operation was carried out by Inspector B. Lakshmi Narayana Reddy of Pahadishareef Police Station along with his team and the Shamshabad Zonal Task Force.

Police said further investigation into the case is underway.