A failed rape attempt led to the sensational killing of a 24-year-old national level Kho Kho player whose body was found at a railway station in Bijnor last Friday.

The fact came to light when the local police arrested accused Shahzad of Adampur village with the help of an audio clip shared by a friend of the victim, who was on call when the incident took place.

As per Bijnor police, the incident took place when the Dalit girl was returning home after facing a job interview around 2 pm on September 10. The accused, Shahzad alias Hadim, who works as a labourer at Bijnor railway station, noticed her alone and dragged her to a pile of concrete railway sleepers and attempted to rape her.

When the girl, who was on a call with a friend, tried to shout for help, the accused strangled her with her dupatta and a rope. The girl’s friend overheard her screaming for help over the phone before it went silent. The accused escaped from the crime scene with the girl’s mobile, leaving behind her body.

The national-level Kho Kho player was found dead with clothes disheveled and tooth broken, on a railway track in Bijnor and her family members alleged that she was raped.

The victim’s friend shared the telephonic call recording with the police after which the investigating officers put the phone on surveillance. The accused had switched off the phone after reaching home but tracing its last location, the police zeroed in on his residence and nabbed him.

The police also recovered a slipper and two broken buttons of a shirt from the crime spot belonging to the accused. The accused's shirt had blood stains which were later washed by his wife.

The police also discovered scratches caused by the victim’s nails on the back of the accused' ostensibly to defend herself during her struggle to break free. The samples have been sent to forensic experts for DNA profiling.

According to the police, the rapist is married, has a daughter and is hooked on drugs. He has four complaints lodged against him at the local police station for stealing things from the railway station.

The case was earlier being probed by the Government Railway Police but later it was transferred to Bijnor police.

Superintendent of Police of Bijnor, Dharamveer Singh, announced a reward of Rs 25,000 to the police team which worked out the case and arrested the miscreant within three days.