Delhi witnesses another murder of woman, rape suspected

Noida, Jan 5: Even as the national capital region and surrounding areas remain on alert after last month's rape and murder, a 21-year-old

, who was missing since last night while returning from a call centre, was found murdered near her house in Sector 63 area today.

The local police suspect that she might have been raped.

The victim was a resident of Chotpur colony here and was working at Noida's Sector 65 BPO on the outskirts of Delhi. She left the office around 9 PM for home with four other female colleagues, police said.

Outside Chotpur colony, her colleagues went their separate ways and she proceeded towards her house but never reached there. Her family members searched for her but could not trace her. This morning the girl was found dead near Pushta area with injuries on her body.

The victim's body has been sent for post mortem. "Whether she was raped and then murdered would be ascertained only after post mortem report is received," police sources said.

Meanwhile, a 19-year-old girl committed self immolation after a youth tried to rape her in Alwar district of Rajasthan, the second such incident in the state this week.

The victim poured kerosene and set herself afire in her house in Alwar's Laxmangarh town on Thursday. She was admitted to a local hospital and referred to Jaipur's SMS government hospital where she died on Friday, police said.

"Rajesh Jogi allegedly attempted to rape the girl four-five days back and she set herself ablaze yesterday," Circle Officer Ashok Kumar Meena said. The girl in her statement alleged that Jogi had attempted to rape her. Police said the accused was involved in a scuffle with the girl's brother before she committed suicide.

"The victim was admitted at 3 PM with 85 per cent burn injuries. She was unconscious and succumbed to the injuries around 4.15 PM," spokesperson of the SMS hospital said in Jaipur.

A case under relevant sections of IPC was registered against the accused who was arrested last night. He was produced before a local court in Alwar which remanded him in judicial custody.

Just days earlier, a 14-year girl-had tried to commit suicide by setting herself afire after she was allegedly raped by a 25-year-old youth in Rajasthan's Pali district. The girl was allegedly raped in Dholia village. She was hospitalised in Ajmer where her condition was stated to be stable. The incidents come in the midst of nationwide outrage over the brutal gangrape and assault on a 23-year-old girl in a moving bus in Delhi on Dec 16. She died in a Singapore hospital on Dec 29.

(With PTI inputs)