The accused was found dead on the railway tracks. (Image: @TelanganaDGP)
The 30-year-old man, the prime suspect in the rape and murder of a six-year-old tribal girl in Hyderabad on September 9, was found dead on the railway tracks at Pamunuru village in Telangana's Warangal district, police said on Thursday.
Sharing the update from his official Twitter handle, the director-general of police (DGP) of Telangana said that the accused of the "child sexual molestation and murder at Singareni Colony" was found dead on the railway tracks in the limits of the Ghanpur police station in the state's Janagaon district.
The individual was recognised after verifying the identification marks on his body, the police official said.
As per reports, the accused likely committed suicide as police launched a massive search operation to nab him, following public outrage over the horrific incident in Singareni Colony in the Saidabad area. The child went missing on September 9 from her house. Her body was later found in the house of her neighbour Raju.
Several teams comprising hundreds of policemen were engaged in search operations within the limits of three police commissionerates - Hyderabad, Cyberabad, and Rachakonda.
A day after announcing a Rs 10 lakh reward for anyone providing information leading to the arrest of the fugitive Pallakonda Raju, police released wanted posters with his pictures. Police personnel were also seen pasting posters on walls, buses, and auto-rickshaws.
Some were explaining to citizens how the accused looks. His death was reported just two days after Telangana Minister Malla Reddy had said the accused "will be killed in an encounter".
The horrific incident had triggered angry protests from residents on Friday. They staged a sit-in for seven hours on Champapet-Sagar Road, demanding immediate and harshest punishment to the guilty. Some of the protestors also demanded that the guilty be killed in an encounter.