Mumbai:

A man was detained on Monday for allegedly raping and murdering a 70-year-old woman in Maharashtra’s Latur district, a police official said.

The incident came to light after a foul odour started emanating from the house of 35-year-old Mansur Shaikh in Bheta in Ausa tehsil this morning and neighbours alerted police, he said.

“Our probe has found she was sexually assaulted and then strangled. Since the body has begun to decompose, we believe she was raped and murdered two days ago. Shaikh was staying in the house with the body all this while,” the official said.

“The woman was a resident of Borgaon, some 10 kilometres from Bheta, and was staying in the village for the past few days. Shaikh took her home, raped her and then killed her. He stayed alone after his wife and mother left him. He is reportedly mentally unstable,” the official added.

The process of registration of a case of rape and murder was underway at Bheta police station and Shaikh, who has been detained, will be placed under arrest, the official informed.

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