Meerut, June 1 -- A 17-year-old national-level kabaddi player was allegedly murdered by a fast-food vendor over a debt of Rs.3,600 in Uttar Pradesh's Meerut district, police said on Monday. The accused, who allegedly killed the teenager near a police outpost and dumped her body in a nearby drain, was arrested after an intensive six-week investigation that eventually led police to Chandigarh.

The victim, Anushka Pal, a resident of Chirodi village in the Daurala area of Meerut, had been missing since April 16. Her disappearance triggered an extensive search operation, but it was only after investigators tracked her last phone contact that the case took a dramatic turn.

Police identified the accused as Shyam Dhanak (42), a fast-food vendor...