The prime suspect in the rape of a 14-year-old school girl and sexual harassment of dozen others in a fake National Cadet Corps (NCC) camp has allegedly committed suicide on Friday, media reports said.

The 31-year-old accused, identified as Sivaraman, had reportedly consumed a poisonous substance ahead of his arrest on August 19, a senior police officer told Hindustan Times.

The deceased is survived by wife and a three-year-old child.

According to reports, he was escaping arrest for the past couple of days.

Krishnagiri’s superintendent of police, P Thangadurai, told Hindustan Times: "He had sustained fractures on one of his legs, reportedly from a fall while attempting to escape from the police net. As a result, he was admitted to the Government Medical College Hospital in Krishnagiri. When doctors questioned him over his blood test report, he confessed to having consumed a poisonous substance fearing his arrest."

Police have arrested 11 other suspects, including the school authorities, for helping Sivaraman organise the fake NCC camp without verifying his credentials and prompting students to take part in it, the SP said.