A 24-year-old MBA student was allegedly strangled to death by her classmate in Indore, who later fled to Mumbai and is accused of abusing her body and performing occult rituals while absconding, police said.

The crime came to light on February 13 after residents complained of a foul smell emanating from a locked house in the Dwarkapuri police station area. When police reached the spot, they found the naked body of the woman inside the rented accommodation of her classmate.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Shrikrishna Lalchandani told PTI that the victim was pursuing a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree from a city college.

The accused fled the city after the incident and was later taken into custody in Mumbai. He is currently being interrogated.

Referring to the interrogation, Lalchandani said the accused strangled his classmate to death and then "abused" the body.

"The accused also performed witchcraft near Panvel (in Navi Mumbai) while on the run. The accused claims that he was mentally disturbed after the murder and wanted to communicate with the woman's spirit through witchcraft," he said.

According to the DCP, the two were in a close relationship.

"The accused suspected that she was talking to other men. Enraged, he killed her and fled," the official said.

After the body was discovered, the victim’s father alleged that the accused had been trying to extort money from his daughter by threatening to circulate her obscene photographs and had subjected her to torture.

He further alleged that the accused had even posted the obscene photos on her college WhatsApp group.