Sambhal (Uttar Pardesh), Oct 5 (IANS): A 21-year-old man, accused of raping a minor deaf and mute girl, ended his life by consuming poison.

He had allegedly raped the girl on Saturday and was absconding after the police filed a case following a complaint by her father.

Additional SP Shrish Chandra said, "The rape accused was hiding in Aligarh and returned with his brother on Sunday. He then went to his sister's house in a village in Rajpura area. He started vomiting and was admitted to a nearby hospital, where he died on Tuesday. We have sent the body for autopsy. It seems to be a case of poisoning."

The police official said that the accused worked as a daily wager, and was a resident of a village in the Bahjoi area of the district.

The accused's brother said, "My brother was scared as he was in a relationship with the girl but her parents lodged a rape complaint against him. We tried to convince the girl's family to get the two married but they refused and sought police action. Fearing police action and jail term, he consumed some poisonous substance and killed himself."