NAMAKKAL: A 17-year-old boy was arrested on charges of rape and murder of a 24-year-old woman in Namakkal on Wednesday.
Police said that the boy allegedly committed the crimes near Keeraikadu last Monday and went absconding.
The victim Deepa was married to Natesan and was residing in Keeraikadu village in Kundalinadu a top Kolli Hills with her two children aged six and two, police sources said.
The woman who took her cattle for grazing last Monday did not return home, police said.
Natesan went in search of his wife and found her dead body in the village. Based on a complaint, Vazhavanthinadu police rushed to the spot and sent the body for postmortem examination.
The investigation led police to suspect the involvement of a 17-year-old boy, a resident of Pollakattupatti village in Kundurnadu. The boy was apprehended on Wednesday.
Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) T Gandhi said, "The minor boy had been following Deepa's activities for the last couple of weeks. Last Monday, he picked a quarrel with the woman who had taken her cattle for grazing. The boy attacked her on the head with a large stone and raped her."
The official said that the boy has confessed to having committed the crimes.
"He said he also narrated the incident to one of his relatives using Deepa's mobile phone and absconded," Gandhi said, adding that the relative has corroborated the claims.
Based on the evidence, the minor was arrested, the official said.
The boy was lodged in Salem Central Prison, and the investigation is on.