CBI cracks Kotkhai rape case, arrests 25-year-old man after 100 per cent DNA match

Anil Kumar, a resident of Himachal Pradesh, had been hiding at different spots working as labour on farms. He also has a criminal record with cases such as attempt to murder against him.

CBI cracks Kothkai rape case, arrests 25-year-old man after 100 per cent DNA match

Kotkhai rape-murder case: On Monday, the CBI had arrested Anil Kumar and took him to Halaila forests where the victim’s body was found dumped on July 6, 2017.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Wednesday cracked the nine-month-old Kotkhai rape and murder case by matching the DNA sample of the arrested suspect with genetic material found at the crime scene. Anil Kumar, a resident of Himachal Pradesh, had been hiding at different spots working as a farm labour. He also has a criminal record with cases such as attempt to murder against him.

The CBI also found that the five suspects arrested by the Himachal Police have no connection with the case. Their DNA samples did not match with those picked up from the crime spot. Also Read: Kotkhai rape case: Himachal High Court asks CBI to file affidavit by May 8

The development comes a day after the CBI arrested Anil Kumar and took him to Halaila forests where the victim’s body was found dumped on July 6, 2017. Kumar was escorted to the spot under a heavy police cover. He was taken to two spots — one where the body was dumped and other where the crime was allegedly committed. The sudden move came just two days before the central agency’s High Court deadline for submitting its status report on April 25. Also Read: CBI takes suspect to forest area where victim’s body was found.

It was on Sunday that Anil Kumar was brought back to Shimla from Delhi by the CBI teams and early on Monday morning, he was driven to the spot with state police providing cover to prevent any unruly scenes due to public sentiments attached to the case.

This was first time since the CBI took up the probe on July 21 that the area witnessed massive police deployment in and around Bankuffer and Halaila forests. However, as the word spread, a huge crowd suddenly converged at the spot. They had to be stopped by the police from reaching him, who had his face covered.

A 16-year-old girl had gone missing while returning from school on July 4, 2017 from Haliala forest in Kotkhai area of Shimla district. Her naked body was found in the forest on July 6 and the postmortem report confirmed rape.

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