The accused, Bhinda Masih, a rickshaw-puller, said during the preliminary investigations that the girl had gone to his house in Khokhar village on her own and they developed physical intimacy, but denied being responsible for her death.

The police, meanwhile, are not ruling out “poisoning” as the cause of death as the post-mortem report does not clearly mention that she died of excessive bleeding.

Bhinda confessed that he knew the girl for the past many months and she had stayed with him. She had left for her parental uncle’s village, Nawan Pind, on February 17, but never reached there. Girl’s father Kulwant Singh, a resident of Chainwali village, near Batala, who is a labourer, said when his daughter did not reach her uncle’s house, they started searching for her and informed the police. After a week, a family friend informed them that she was staying with Bhinda in Khokhar village.

However, when villagers objected to the girl staying with Bhinda, he let her go to her parents. “She said she did not want to go to her parents’ house, but agreed to go to Baba Sukh Data’s dera in Dhapai. I and my friend Lakhwinder Singh wanted to escort her, but she said she wanted to go alone,” Bhinda told the police.

Batala SSP Rajendra Dhoke said Bhinda has confessed to the crime but denies being responsible for her death. “The final medical report of the viscera is awaited and there are evidences that she died of poisoning. We are investigating the case,” he said.

“It is clear that she was sexually assaulted and Bhinda has confessed to the crime. We are focusing on the cause of death now, as she had vomited profusely before dying,” said the SSP, adding that she was kept confined by the accused in his house for over a week.

“The girl kept mum till her condition deteriorated and died on way to the hospital,” said Kotli Surat Mal police station SHO Surinder Singh, who had registered a case under sections 304 and 376 of the IPC.