30 April,2012 08:36 AM IST | | Sandip Kolhatkar
The detection branch of the Vishrantwadi police and a team of the Amravati police in a joint operation yesterday arrested a 40-year-old man for raping his mistress and then killing her by setting her on fire in Amravati on April 15. The suspect was hiding in Dehu village since the commission of the crime.
The accused was identified as Rajesh alias Raju Sudhakar Tikhle, a resident of Mahadev-nagar in Amravati.
Got him: Rajesh alias Raju Tikhile (in veil), the arrested suspect, outside the Vishrantwadi police station yesterday. PIC/KRUNAL GOSAVIu00a0
The deceased, Usha Deepak Banarse, was a resident of Rajapeth in Amravati city.
Police Inspector P B Gophane of the Vishrantwadi police station said: "The suspect, who is already married had illicit relations with Usha, sometimes used to stay with her. On April 15, He came to her house around 1.30 pm and the duo had a scuffle over money. In a fit of rage, he raped her first and then poured kerosene on her before setting her on fire.
"Usha, who suffered 89 per cent burns, was rushed to hospital, but succumbed to burn injuries after some days. Before dying, she told the local police that Rajesh had raped her and set her on fire."
The Rajapeth police registered a complaint against Tikhle under Sections 307 (attempt to murder), 376 (rape) and, after her death, 302 (murder) of the IPC.
Gophane said the Amravati police alerted the city police that Tikhle was in the district.
"With the help of mobile tracking system, we traced his cell phone and came to know that he was somewhere in Dehu village and in the wee hours of Sunday he was nabbed from his friend's house," Gophane said.
The suspect was taken to Amravati, where he will be produced in court.
The police teams that cracked the case comprised of Senior Police Inspector Motichand Rathod, PI Gophane, policemen Prashant Jadhav and Dilip Kimbhar from the Vishtrantwadi police station and Ravi Rathod, Gajanan Vidhate, Ejaj Shah and Ajit Kure from the Amravati police.
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