Hyderabad: A day after the burnt body of a 26-year-old veterinarian was found near Hyderabad, a Telangana Minister today said that the incident could have been averted if she had called the police instead of her sister upon finding people around her behaving suspiciously.
“We are saddened by the incident, the police is alert and controlling crime. She was an educated woman, and yet she called her sister instead of 100. Had she called 100, she would have been saved. 100 is a friendship number, and we have to spread awareness on this among the people,” Telangana Home Minister Mohd Mahmood Ali told news agency ANI on the sensitive issue.
Mr Ali went on to term Telangana’s police force as the most efficient in the country, and gave his assurance that the culprits would be identified and brought to justice at the earliest.
The 26-year-old veterinarian had gone missing on Wednesday night, while she was heading home from work. Investigations revealed that on her way back, she stopped at the Shamshabad toll booth, parked her bike there and took a cab to visit a dermatologist. Upon returning around 9 pm, she found her two-wheeler punctured.
The veterinarian had last called her sister around 9:15 pm on Wednesday. An audio recording of the call seemed to suggest that somebody had offered to get her flat tyre fixed, and that she was feeling feeling scared because some truck drivers near her were behaving in a suspicious manner.
Police believe that the woman may have been raped before being murdered and burnt. Four people have been taken into custody, and police are trying to piece together details of the incident to establish their possible involvement.
Telangana Director General of Police Mahendar Reddy called the murder “gruesome and atrocious”, and promised to ensure that the culprits — once caught — are convicted expeditiously in a fast-track court. “Deeply pained and anguished. Telangana police will do everything possible to catch the offenders at the earliest and get them convicted through a fast-track court. Anyone, anytime, anywhere in distress, please dial 100,” he said in a tweet.
Mr Reddy said that women should not hesitate to contact the police. “If you face any problem or suspect any danger commuting at odd hours, isolated places or if your vehicle breaks down! #JustLetUsKnow we are here just a click away,” another tweet from the top police officer read.
The centre plans to issue an advisory to all states in the wake of the incident, asking them to take precautionary steps against anti-women crimes.