Jharkhand girl's death turns out to be murder; two held

Chennai: The death of a 17-year-old girl from Jharkhand on March 29, initially believed to be suicide, has now turned out to be a case of murder.

After the autopsy report confirmed the crime, the Kundrathur police arrested two men and launched a search for a third suspect for having strangled the girl to death and then staged a suicide at Nandambakkam on March 29.

According to police, the main accused, Soma Koba, 19, was in a relationship with the victim, a 17-year-old girl from Jharkhand. They were living in a rented house along with two other men, Sunil Kope, 19, and Baccha, 19, also from Jharkhand. The couple reportedly got into a quarrel after the girl found Soma chatting with another woman. The argument escalated on the night of March 29.

Police said that during the quarrel, Soma, with the help of Sunil and Baccha, allegedly strangled the girl using her dupatta. To cover up the crime, they hung her body from the ceiling to make it seem like a suicide. Police initially registered it as a case of suicide. They, however, arrested one of the three men on abetment charges.

However, the post-mortem report from the govt general hospital revealed signs of strangulation and confirmed the presence of anti-mortem injuries, establishing it as a homicide. Following this, the police altered the case to murder and arrested Soma and Sunil. Soma was also booked under relevant sections of the Pocso Act.

During interrogation, the duo said they killed the girl because she repeatedly confronted Soma about his involvement with another woman. Police said the third suspect, Baccha, fled to his native village in Jharkhand. A special team has been deployed to track and apprehend him.

The arrested men were produced before a magistrate and remanded in judicial custody.