Boy arrested in rape-murder case

Chamba police have apprehended the prime accused — a minor — in the August 19 rape and murder of an elderly woman in Kuthed village under Chowari subdivision. The accused, who had been absconding, was traced and apprehended in Delhi after an intensive search operation.

The victim, Kamla Devi, a retired government employee, was found naked in the compound of a government school in Kuthed on August 19.

Initially, her daughter lodged a complaint against her brother and sister-in-law, suspecting their involvement. However, police investigations found no evidence against them, prompting a wider probe. Based on local inputs, police zeroed in on two suspects from the same village. One of them, Rakesh Kumar, was arrested on August 23 and confessed to the crime, while the minor accomplice fled. A case has been registered under Sections 103 and 63 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.