Bareilly (Uttar Pradesh), Aug 17 (TIWN): Brutal rape and murder incident of Uttarakhand nurse has added to the nationwide outrage over the safety of women. The victim was a single mother and worked at a private hospital in Rudrapur. On Friday, members of Women's Congress staged a protest at the office of Senior superintendent of police (SSP), demanding death penalty for the 28-year-old accused, who worked as a labourer. A nurse of a private hospital in Uttarakhand's Rudrapur, missing since July 30, was allegedly raped and killed with her face crushed with a stone by the accused who dumped her body in a vacant plot in an Uttar Pradesh village, police said on Friday.

The accused has been identified as, Dharmendra, who worked as a labourer in Uttarakhand's Gadarpur.

He was arrested in Rajasthan on August 13, the police officer said, adding that he hails from the Bareilly district of Uttar Pradesh. The nurse's body was recovered with her face mutilated beyond recognition.

The incident came to light when the nurse's sister reported her disappearance on July 30 after her shift. A report was subsequently registered at Rudrapur police station. Police launched a search operation, placing her phone under surveillance and scanning more than 500 CCTV cameras. On August 1, the nurse's body was found in bushes of an abandoned area in Dibdiba village, across border in UP .