CHENNAI: A 15-year-old girl — who left for her school for an exam on Monday — was kidnapped, sexually assaulted and murdered in Gudalur in the Nilgiris. Her body was recovered from an isolated spot and police are searching for one of her relatives, who is believed to be on the run.

Police said the victim, hailing from a village near Pykara in Gudalur and studying Class 9 at a school in Ooty, had left for school as usual on Monday. However, with no sight of her till late in the evening, her parents and relatives went on a long search and finally found her lying dead in a deserted area in the Angarakudu area.

“The girl, with injuries all over her body, was strangulated after sexual assault. A car used by the assailants to kidnap the girl was abandoned near the scene of the crime,” police said.

Police said the car belonged to one Rajinesh, 25, a relative of the victim’s family, who has gone into hiding. Rajinesh had abandoned the car and fled after some villagers confronted him on suspicion.

Meanwhile, the villagers protested by refusing to allow police to take the body of the girl for a post-mortem, demanding immediate arrest of the culprits. They withdrew the protest after the Nilgiris Superintendent of Police, K Prabhakar, assured them of speedy action.

The body of the girl was taken to Ooty Government Hospital for a post-mortem.

The Pykara police have registered a case and two special teams have been formed to nab the culprits. “Prime suspect Rajinesh is married and a search is on to nab him. Only his arrest will reveal the details of others involved,” said an official.

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