17-year old girl found dead; rape suspected

A 17-year old girl was today found dead in a farm land near here and police suspect it to be a case of rape and murder.

The girl working in a private company had not returned home last night and her body was found by her relatives in a betel plant cultivation on the road to nearby Pichampatti village, police said.

Since her body was found without clothes, rape was being suspected, they said.

Preliminary investigation suggest that the girl died of strangulation.

Eight persons had been questioned so far by Police in connection with the case, police said.

Traffic on Tiruchirapalli-Karur National Highway was affected for some time after the girl's neighbours and relatives staged a road block, demanding that the culprits be brought to book.