New Delhi, June 1 (IANS) The Nawada Police on Sunday claimed to have solved the murder mystery of a 16-year-old girl from Hisua, Bihar, whose body was found stuffed in a blue trolley bag near Chandapura Railway Station in Bengaluru, Karnataka.

The victim, Riya Kumari, was reported missing on May 15 and was murdered on May 20.

The investigation led to the arrest of seven individuals, including Riya’s boyfriend, Ashik Kumar, who was identified as the main suspect.

Police say Ashik, who is already married with two children, brutally murdered Riya and then, with the help of six others, disposed of her body to cover up the crime.

The arrests were made after a well-coordinated operation led by the Hisua Police Station in-charge, Anil Kumar Singh.

Acting on intelligence, police surrounded Rahul Nagar village in the Hisua police station area and apprehended all seven accused.

According to the police, the murder took place on May 20, when Riya’s aunt and uncle were away at work.

During interrogation, Ashik confessed to killing Riya by slamming her to the ground, sitting on her chest, and strangling her. Ashik also smashed her head on the floor, which broke her neck and caused her death.

Following the murder, Ashik called his friends to the room and falsely claimed that Riya had taken her own life. He threatened them to cooperate and follow his version of events. His uncle advised hiding the body, and to mislead authorities, they broke the windowpane from inside the house to make it appear as though someone had seen the body from outside.

They then packed Riya’s body into a blue trolley bag, booked a cab, and drove to a deserted area near Chandapura Railway Station. Though the driver grew suspicious, he was bribed and sent away. The body was dumped near the railway tracks and recovered the next morning by the Surya Nagar Police.

It was through viral social media posts and news coverage that Riya’s family identified her.

The accused arrested include Ashik Kumar, his uncle Mukesh Kumar, aunt Indu Devi, and accomplices Rajaram Ravidas (son of Ranjit Ravidas), Rajoo Kumar (son of Pyarechand Ravidas), Kalu Ravidas (son of Sunil Ravidas), and Mohan Kumar.

All the arrested individuals have been handed over to Inspector Sanjeev Mahajan of Surya Nagar Police.

Investigations are ongoing to ensure all those involved face the full force of the law.

–IANS

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