In a major breakthrough in two rape and murder cases – one involving an MBA student in 2010 and the other a woman near Maloya in January 2022 – the Chandigarh Police arrested a drug addict on Wednesday night.
According to the police, the man in his 20s was identified through DNA profiling of samples collected from the bodies of the two women.
“The suspect is a serial rapist and killer. He is currently undergoing interrogation. Further details cannot be disclosed at this stage,” said a police officer.
The accused has confessed to raping and murdering 22-year-old MBA student Neha Ahlawat in Sector 38 West 14 years ago and a 40-year-old woman near Maloya in 2010, he said.
Police said that based on the conclusions of the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) authorities that both crimes were committed by the same individual, the investigators zeroed in on the accused who resides in Shahpur Colony near Sector 39. The samples matched with those of the suspect, who was detained a few months ago.
Sources told The Indian Express that the man told the police that although he was arrested for rape in Himachal Pradesh, he was acquired due to lack of evidence.
Neha Ahlawat’s body was discovered in a semi-naked state near Karan Taxi Stand in Sector 38 West in July 2010. A case of rape and murder was filed at the Sector 39 police station. Around 10 years after the murder of Nehathe Chandigarh Police finally closed the investigation, filing an untraced report in the district courts, Sector 43, stating all efforts were made but assailants were not traced.
Meanwhile, the body of the other woman was found nakedwith her hands and legs bound with ropes, near the Maloya forest area in January 2022. Clothes were found stuffed in her mouth.
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
First uploaded on: 02-05-2024 at 12:45 IST
