Chandigarh: Ashish Lohani, 26, a resident of Barmajra village, Mohali, who had checked into Hotel Kamron Inn with the woman on March 8 before leaving alone on Friday morning, is the prime suspect.
The woman was found unconscious by the housekeeping staff, following which police were alerted. Police responded to the scene and rushed the woman to Government Multi-Specialty Hospital, Sector 16, where she was declared brought dead.
Hotel manager Vijay Kumar said Ashish and the woman had checked into the hotel together on March 8, but he left alone around 9.30 am on Friday morning.
A manhunt has been launched to trace him. The post-mortem examination to establish the cause of death and whether the woman was sexually assaulted will be conducted on Saturday.
A case under Section 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code has been registered at the IT Park police station.
(with inputs from Agencies)