Chennai:
The Tamil Nadu government has transferred the probe into the mysterious death of a 24-year-old woman, working with the Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), to the Crime Branch-CID of the state police. Police have also announced a reward of up to Rs two lakh for any information that could help identify the accused.
Uma Maheshwari, a native of Salem district in Tamil Nadu, had been missing since February 13. Her body was found in a decomposed state yesterday near her office premises at the SIPCOT IT Park at Siruseri on the outskirts of Chennai.
A police officer of the rank of an Inspector was today suspended for inaction.
"Although the woman's father had given a complaint a week ago, the body was recovered only a week later though it remained very close to her office. We feel he could have been more active and we don't want this kind of a delay in future in other cases," Sathiamoorthy, Range Deputy Inspector General of Police, told NDTV.
Sources close to the suspended cop, though, deny all allegations.
Police have formed six teams to investigate the case. An unmanned aerial vehicle will be deployed to collect more evidence. "We are probing all angles and soon we should get some clues," Mr Sathiamoorthy said.
A statement from TCS yesterday said Ms Maheshwari was "well liked by her colleagues and was someone her team leader could depend on", adding "this shocking incident is a sad reminder of the safety and security risks women face today."