Tilted cousin confesses to Priyanka rape-murder case

Kurukshetra, Sep 8 (UNI) Kurukshetra police claimed to have solved the much publicised case of the rape and murder of college student Priyanka saying that her former classmate and cousin had confessed the crime.

According to Sanjay Kumar, SP Kurukshetra, the accused Manjit, a student of an Ambala college, has confessed to having committed the crime while Priyanka was on her way home to Baram village because she had been turning down his advances ever since she joined a Shahabad college after passing out from Haripur village school where both of them used to study.

Priyanka was found murdered in sugarcane fields on August 31 evening. Jhansa police team, including the DSP Pehowa Mahabir Singh and CIA Inspector Randhir Singh Rana visited the spot. A sniffer dog squad and state forensic laboratory team was also called in later.

Samples of blood and hair were lifted. The victim was strangulated by her Chunni.The Jhansa police had registered a case against the accused.

There were a series of mass protests in the area over the crime and the villagers had blocked the national highway during one of the demonstrations to press for prompt arrest of the culprit.

The SP said four police teams were set up to investigate the case. Manjit along with other local youths were taken into custody on suspcion. On sustained interrogation, Manjit broke down after two days and confessed to the crime, Mr Kumar added.

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