Police on Thursday made public a suspect behind the murder of Santoshi Subba, a popular YouTube figure whose disfigured body was discovered on Tuesday at Dakshinkali in Kathmandu.

The suspect, a 29-year-old man, was arrested from Kamalakshi, Kathmandu, where he had been hiding after the crime, police said.

He confessed to the crime soon after he was arrested, police said.

Senior Superintendent of Police Chandra Kuber Khapung, chief of the Metropolitan Crime Division, said the suspect, who hails from Sindhupalchok, was arrested within 24 hours after police initiated their investigation.

Police investigation suggests that Subba was murdered on Sunday.

Her body was discovered by some local people on Tuesday.

“The victim was found half naked in a forested area. Her face was crushed beyond recognition and there were multiple bruises on her body,” Khapung said. “Her attacker had hit her several times with a rock to disfigure her. A post-mortem report showed some of her ribs were also broken.”

Subba was popular on YouTube for her ability to produce the sounds of different birds and animals.

Investigators said Subba had met the suspect at a hotel near the incident site.

“Subba was staying at the same hotel. Prohibitory orders were in place and she had run out of money in order to be able to stay at the hotel. The suspect, who offered to help her after learning about her predicament, lured her into staying with him and murdered her,” an investigating officer said.

The officer said the suspect admitted to strangling Subba with her own shawl after she resisted when he forced himself upon her.

“He used a rock to deface Subba so that she wouldn’t be identified,” the investigating officer said.

Subba used to live with her foster father Dhan Bahadur Tamang in Kathmandu.

Her gruesome murder has left many shaken and once again raised concerns over women’s safety in the country.

According to the data provided by Nepal Police, a total of 4, 773 cases of violence against women and children were reported between February 13 and May 14. On average 53 such cases are reported daily across the country.

The data include cases related to rape, attempted rape, allegations of witchcraft, polygamy, domestic violence, rape and murder, and kidnapping and rape.