Dalit woman's burnt body found in Andhra Pradesh; aid announced for kin

A 19-year-old Dalit woman was allegedly found killed and the body partly burnt to cover up the crime at Dharmavaram in Anantapuramu district of Andhra Pradesh, police said on Thursday.

Sneha Latha (19), whose body was found on Wednesday, was recently appointed an outsourced employee of State Bank of India, the police said.

Her parents suspect that Rajesh, a construction worker, might have committed the crime as he had been harassing her in the name of love, they said. Rajesh was taken into custody for interrogation, police said.

Police found from the call list of the victim that Rajesh had called her several times and also sent hundreds of messages in the last one month.

Anantapuramu district Superintendent of Police Yesu Babu said the victim was not sexually assaulted. We have taken Rajesh into custody for interrogation and are hunting for his friend Karthik, who could be an accomplice, he said.

The official denied the allegation that the police did not act on previous complaints lodged by Lathas parents against the harassment of Rajesh. Meanwhile, the state government announced a statutory compensation of Rs 8.25 lakh to the victim's family.

Besides, Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy announced an ex-gratia payment of Rs 10 lakh from the Chief Minister's Relief Fund, according to Anantapuramu district Collector Gandham Chandrudu.

The Collector said Rs 4.12 lakh was being paid to the victims family immediately and the balance would be released after the charge-sheet is filed in the case. A housing site, a house and five acres of land would also be given to the family apart from a government job to the eligible family member. We will support Lathas family by all means, the Collector said.

Leader of the Opposition N Chandrababu Naidu spoke to the victims parents over phone and consoled them. He demanded a CBI investigation into the killing to bring out the facts.