Minor girl murdered in Mysuru; police suspect rape

Mysuru (Karnataka), Oct 10 (PTI) A minor girl belonging to the family that sold balloons in Mysuru Dasara festival was murdered, police said on Friday.

They suspect the victim was raped before the murder.

With the help of CCTV footage and technical surveillance, the police traced the suspect, Karthik, a resident of Siddalingapura, to Kollegal in Chamarajnagara district, where he had fled by private bus after committing the crime, police said.

When he tried to escape on seeing police, they shot him in the leg. He was admitted to a hospital for treatment, police said, adding that he will be produced in the court following his discharge.

According to police, the nine-year-old girl, who hailed from Kalaburagi had come with her family in Mysuru to sell balloons during the Dasara festival and was about to go back to her village on Thursday as the festivities had come to an end.

A senior police officer said the girl was sleeping with her family in a temporary shed. Her family woke up due to rains in the early hours of Thursday, and noticed the child was missing. When they searched for her, they found her body a few metres away from their temporary shed near the Dasara Exhibition Grounds at Indira Nagar.

The couple have four children and the victim was one of them, he said. During investigation, police scanned through CCTV footages and identified the suspect who was later arrested.

A case has been registered at Nazarbad police station, and investigation is on, police said. PTI AMP ADB