Four people have been picked up as suspects by the Cyberabad Police in connection with the gang rape and murder of a 27-year-old veterinarian, whose charred body was found in the outskirts of Hyderabad on Wednesday. The gruesome incident has sent shock waves across the state and drew all round condemnation besides bringing people from all walks of life out on streets in protest against the heinous crime.

While the victim was gang raped and murdered near the Tondupally toll plaza in Shamshabad on the outskirts here, her body was dumped and burnt 25 km away at the Chatanpally Bridge in the Ranga Reddy district.

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The police on Thursday morning found the charred body of the victim near Shadnagar.

Investigations revealed that the victim had left her house in Shamshabad for Kolluru village to attend duty at the veterinary hospital. She returned in the evening at the toll plaza, parked her scooty nearby and took a cab to go to Gachibowli to visit a dermatologist. When she returned at the same place around 9 p.m, she found the two-wheeler punctured.

Police suspect the vehicle was deliberately punctured by the culprits to trap the victim and the doctor was raped and murdered by those who offered to help her in rectifying the punctured vehicle.

Those detained include a truck driver and a cleaner. The police suspect the girl was gang raped by the accused, who later strangulated her to death and burnt the body.

The Cyberabad Police officials are likely to announce the arrests and reveal the details of the case later in the day.

The victim’s clothes, footwear and a liquor bottle were recovered by the police near the toll plaza, where she had parked her scooty.

Ten police teams were directed immediately after the crime broke, to crack the case.

According to the police, the victim had called her sister around 9.45 pm that her vehicle was punctured and somebody has offered to help her. They had promised to take her vehicle for repair.

The sister, however, did mention to the police that she felt the victim was feeling threatened by some truck drivers standing nearby.

The victim’s sister had advised her to leave the vehicle, go to the toll plaza and return home by a cab. However, when the sister later called her back, her mobile phone was switched off so the family lodged a missing complaint with the police around 11 p.m.

Telangana Minister KT Rama Rao on Friday condemned the incident and promised to personally monitor the case.

Rama Rao, son of Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao, said the government would ensure that the victim gets justice at the earliest.

Meanwhile, the National Commission for Women has constituted an inquiry committee to look into the alleged killing of the  veterinarian.

NCW Chairperson Rekha Sharma said in a tweet that the women’s panel would not “leave any stone unturned” till the perpetrators get the punishment they deserve.

In a letter to Cyberabad Police Commissioner V C Sajjanar, Sharma said the commission is disturbed by the reported incident and is seriously concerned about the safety and security of women.

(With agency inputs)