Hyderabad rape and murder case: Police asked to ensure time-bound investigation

Hyderabad, Dec 02: Police probing the gang-rape and murder of a young woman veterinarian in Telangana on Monday said they have been asked to complete the investigation in a time-bound manner and would seek maximum punishment for the four accused.

Telangana Director General of Police M Mahender Reddy gave the direction at a meeting on Sunday night where he reviewed the progress of the case, police said. Reddy earlier visited the scene of the ghastly crime that brought back painful memories of the 2012 Nirbhaya case and led to outrage in the country.

"The DGP sir gave us some instructions... Investigation is going on... In a time-bound manner we will complete it", a senior police official told PTI on Monday.

The official also saidpolice were in the process of requesting the Law Ministry for setting up of a fast track to try the four accused and will seek maximum punishment for the perpetrators of the gruesome incident.

The charred body of the 25-year old woman, who worked as an assistant veterinarian at a state-run hospital, was found under a culvert in Shadnagar near here on November 28, a day after she went missing. Four men, all lorry workers, aged between 20 and 24, were arrested on November 29 on charges of raping and killing the woman and had been sent to judicial custody for 14 days on Saturday.

The four, who faced violent protests while being taken to the prison, are now kept in solitary confinement in Cherlapally Prison here in high-security cells and put under heightened surveillance to ensure their safety.

Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao had on Sunday announced setting up of a fast track court for expeditious trial and assured all help to her family. Cyberabad Police have appealed to the media not to telecast continuously programmes on the murder of the woman and avoid use of her name as it suggested the hashtag "#Justice for Disha" in the social media.

Police said they are also planning to file a petition in court shortly seeking the custody of the four accused for further interrogation.

As the gory incident in which the woman was burnt to death after being raped triggered outrage, public had staged protests and a section of them hurled stones at a police vehicle when the four were escorted to the prison from a police station on Friday.