Chandigarh, Jan 17: A class 12 student, considered as the prime suspect in the gangrape-murder of a 15-year-old Dalit girl , was found dead late night on Tuesday, the Haryana Police said.

The boy's body was found in a decomposed state in a canal near Kirmach village of Kurukshetra district, officials claimed. Nearly four days ago, the body of the deceased Dalit girl was found in a mutilated condition in Budha Khera village of Jind district.

The boy, reported to be a minor, resided in the village of Jhansa. The girl also resided in the same village, which raised speculations over their relationship after both of them went missing on Saturday.

The girl's family has ruled out an affair between the two. While speaking to reporters, the girl's mother said "more than one person" is behind the brutal rape and murder of her daughter.

The police probe so far had pinned the missing boy as their prime suspect, with most of his family members being detained for questioning. With his death, the investigation is likely to focus on the abduction angle. However, the possibility of the boy being involved in the gang-rape could not be ruled out.

The CCTV footage accessed from Jhansa village on Saturday shows the deceased boy on a bike with two pillion riders at around 4:20 pm. The girl, however, was missing in the frame, said Jhansa village chief Puneet Mal.

The gangrape-murder incident sparked outrage in the state, with the Opposition questioning the ruling Manohar Lal Khattar-led state government over the alleged deterioration of law and order.

The autopsy report of the murdered girl said she was sexualtly assaulted by at least two different persons. A total of 19 injuries, including external and internal were found. A sharp object was also thrusted in the vagina of the victim, which also caused her liver to rupture, said the doctor who performed the post-mortem at Rohtak's PGIMS.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 17, 2018 01:49 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).