Army man accused of shooting at woman commits suicide

Guntur: An army man allegedly committed suicide at Kolanukonda railway track, near Tadepalli, in Guntur district on Sunday, a day after he opened fire and injured a woman.

The body of D Balaji (25) was found on railway track near Kolanukonda village in Guntur district.

Balaji, who was on the run after Saturday's incident, is believed to have jumped in front of a train.

He was suspended from Army in December last year following his arrest on charges of sexually exploiting a girl after promising to marry her.

After his release on bail recently, he had been pressuring the girl into marrying him. However, the girl and her parents rejected his proposal.

On Saturday, he went to the girl's house in Nadimpalli village in Guntur district. As soon as the girl's mother opened the door, he opened fire from a country-made pistol. The alert woman moved quickly but the bullet pierced through her right ear.

Hearing her screams, locals rushed to the scene and tried to catch Balaji. He threw his bag and the weapon and escaped.

Injured Rama Devi was shifted to a hospital. Police detained an auto rickshaw driver who allegedly helped the attacker.

His body was found on Sunday. His relatives identified the body, which was shifted to a hospital for autopsy. Police were investigating how he had procured the weapon.

The accused, hailing from another village in the same district, met the girl at a wedding and fell in love. He later took her to Bapatla town, where he developed physical contact with her on the promise of marriage.

He later distanced himself from the girl, who lodged a police complaint against him.

Cherakupalli Sub-Inspector K Ramesh said the Government Railway Police found Balaji's body on Kolanukonda railway track near Tadepalli.