Madhya Pradesh cops nab rape accused after massive 5-day manhunt

In Madhya Pradesh’s Harda,  a rape accused attempted suicide to escape arrest after police launched a massive manhunt,  The Hindu reported.
The Madhya Pradesh police said on September 29, “A 22-year-old man, accused of raping a five-year-old girl, tried to kill himself to evade arrest after the police caught up with him following an extensive five-day search operation.” Harda Superintendent of Police (SP) Abhinav Chouksey informed that the manhunt began on September 23.
The search operation involved around 200 police personnel, more than 500 local residents, and a drone with night vision technology. The five-day operation to nab the assailant covered nearly 250 square kilometres across three districts, including Harda, Khandwa, and Betul, The Hindu reported.
On Sunday morning, police personnel caught hold of the absconding sexual offender from Mohanpura area of Betul.
On September 23, the five-year-old survivor was found near a river in the jurisdiction of Sirali police station. Following a medical examination that confirmed sexual assault, a case was filed. The accused, identified as Sunil Korku, carried a reward of ₹10,000 for information about his whereabouts. The child abuse accused, who hailed from Khalwa area of Madhya Pradesh, was found in a maize field and was hospitalised as he had consumed pesticide in a suicide bid.
According to The Hindu report, the accused had thrown away his phone and had been constantly on the move. The police official said, “He first went to Khandwa then came back to Harda and fled to Betul but was nabbed near the [district] border.” He walked through fields and forests spread across 250 sq. km for three days to evade arrest. Additionally, three police officials were deployed in all 33 villages inside the forest.
Police official added, “When we caught hold of him, he said that he had drunk some medicine from a bottle he found in a field out of fear of getting arrested. Upon checking, we found out that the bottle contained a pesticide.”