Vadodara, Aug 18 (PTI) Six men employed as labourers for a rail project were arrested for allegedly raping and killing a woman in a village in Gujarat's Vadodara district, police said on Wednesday.
The men, staying in a colony of labourers, allegedly raped the woman (37) in a farmland where she had gone to cut grass for fodder two days ago, strangled her to death and then dumped the body in the same field and fled, Vadodara (rural) Superintendent of Police Sudhir Desai said.
"The body of the victim was found dumped in a field in the village under Karjan taluka. The woman had gone to collect fodder, and her body was found by her family members who went looking for her when she failed to return home on late Monday night," Desai said.
A police dog played a key role in detection of the crime, the SP said.
"When the police were informed about the incident, they started an investigation. Teams of dog squad and forensic experts were called in for investigation.
"During the probe, a police dog stopped at a colony of workers engaged in a project of laying railway tracks located some 500-700 metres away from the crime spot. It raised suspicion on a man, who was detained on Tuesday for questioning," Desai said.
When questioned, the man told the police he and five other labourers from the colony raped and then killed the woman, he said.
All the accused were later arrested on charges of gang-rape and murder, Desai said, adding further investigation was underway.