21-yr-old woman killed in Noida

Police probe rape angle, detain 2 for questioning; protesters block NH-24, cause traffic jam.

The semi-nude body of a 21-year-old woman was found in Chotpur village in Noida on Saturday morning. On the complaint of her family, the police have registered a case under Sections 302 (murder), 201 (destruction of evidence) and 376 (rape) of the Indian Penal Code. Police said the post-mortem remained inconclusive on rape, and the victim's vagina and viscera samples have been sent for "supplementary forensic tests".

Family members of the victim said she worked as a tailor with an export house in Sector 65, which is around 6 km from her home. "Her shift used to be from 9 am to 9 pm. On Friday morning, her phone had no charge so she left it at home. She did not return home all night, and around 7.15 am, we went to the Sector 63 chowki to report her missing. The police personnel were very rude and said she had probably run off somewhere. They turned us away. Twenty minutes later, we received a call that her body had been found in the village," the victim's father said.

He said the woman used to commute in an autorickshaw, with her colleagues. "The autorickshaw would drop her a kilometre from the house, from where she would walk home." Representatives of her employer confirmed that she had worked on Friday, and left office at 8.55 pm with a female colleague.

The victim's body was found next to an under-construction house in the village. Eyewitnesses said the lower part of the body had no clothes on. Her jacket was found in the under-construction house. Police confirmed that they had recovered her clothes and had identified them as those of the victim.

Senior Superintendent of Police Praveen Kumar said, "Prima facie, it seems that the incident took place immediately after she was dropped by her colleague who accompanied her in the auto. The post-mortem shows injury marks around her neck and asphyxiation as the cause of death. Preliminary investigations suggest that the accused knew the victim and her schedule. We are confident that we will crack the case in the next 24 hours."

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