Indian police hunt man who sexually mutilated and murdered student

India police are hunting a man who sexually mutilated and murdered a student, an officer said on Tuesday, an attack which echoes the 2012 fatal gang-rape of a Delhi student that sparked mass protests.

The 30-year-old university law student from a low social caste was attacked last Thursday at her home in the southern state of Kerala, with her mother discovering her body in a pool of blood.

According to police inspector general Mahipal Yadav, who is heading the investigation, the suspect attacked and murdered her brutally and fled the scene quickly.

He said police suspect the victim was also raped but were awaiting a medical report.

Police also suspect the victim from the town of Perumbavoor, 220km north of state capital Thiruvananthapuram, knew her attacker because there was no signs of forced entry to her home, he said.