Cop suspended for negligence in girl murder case

Madurai: The inspector of Vilathikulam All Women Police Station (AWPS) has been suspended for negligence following the murder of a 17-year-old girl in Tuticorin on Wednesday. A senior police official told TOI that inspector Praveena was suspended after it was found that she did not take necessary action when the girl's parents tried to lodge a missing girl complaint.He also hinted that the suspects could be from the same village, and a few were under interrogation. Meanwhile, 10 police teams led by Tuticorin SP have been formed to investigate the murder.The 17-year-old girl from a village in Tuticorin was found murdered 300 metres from her home, after going missing on Tuesday evening. While her clothes were found to be intact, police said there was a strangulation injury on her neck. The initial ‘missing person' case was altered to murder. Following a sit-in protest by villagers on East Coast Road, authorities assured swift arrest. An autopsy is pending to determine if sexual assault occurred.