The accused arrested in the air hostess murder case in Mumbai has allegedly died by suicide in a police lock-up in Andheri.
The accused, Vikram Atwal, used his pants to hang himself in the cell where he was lodged. He was to be produced before a court on Friday by the Powai police to seek an extension of his police custody. His family has been informed about the incident, Indian Express reported.
Rupal Ogrey, a native of Chhattisgarh, was found dead with her throat slit in a rented flat of a residential society in suburban Andheri on September 3. She had come to Mumbai in April for training with a leading private airline.
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Atwal, who had been doing housekeeping work over the past year in the residential society, was arrested last week. He had confessed to the crime.
According to the police, Atwal entered Ogrey’s residence on the pretext of cleaning and allegedly tried to rape her. However, she resisted and fought back. The accused then killed her by slitting her throat and dumping her body in the bathroom.
He changed his clothes and fled the spot, which was caught on a CCTV camera.
Police found out that Atwal was in Ogrey’s flat for around two hours between 11:30 am and 1:30 pm.
Ogrey’s cousin had sent her friend to check on her at the flat after she did not answer the phone. The friend opened the door with the help of a keymaker and found Ogrey lying in a pool of blood in the bathroom.
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The police were informed about the murder and a forensic team was sent to the spot.
A nine-inch knife and the clothes the accused wore at the time of the crime were recovered from bushes near the housing society where Ogrey resided. Atwal was arrested by the police based on evidence.