Man Accused Of Kidnapping, Murdering 5-Year-Old Girl In Karnataka Killed In Police Encounter

Three police officers were injured during the incident, the police added.

The incident occurred at the Ashok Nagar police station limits in Hubballi, and the body was found in an abandoned building.

Police Commissioner of Hubballi-Dharwad N Shashi Kumar said that they have taken up a case of murder and POCSO and a case of obstruction to police duty and attempt to murder against the accused.

He said that the victim’s family hailed from the Koppal district. Her mother worked as a housemaid and as an assistant at a beauty parlor, while her father worked as a painter.

“The mother had taken her daughter for work, as she was working at the houses in the locality. An unidentified man had taken the girl from there. On searching, the girl was found in the bathroom of a small sheet-roofed building in front of the house from where she had gone missing. She was immediately shifted to the hospital, where she was declared brought dead," he said.

The police have not confirmed the reports of sexual assault, saying that medical examination and investigations are underway.

Union Minister Pralhad Joshi expressed condolences to the victim’s family, saying that the “death of a four-and-a-half-year-old child in Hubballi is a matter of great sadness and shock for me. This is a horrific incident that should make the entire civil society bow its head. Such heinous acts should never happen again. Today, I visited KIMS Hospital and expressed my condolences to the family of the deceased child."

While speaking to the media, the Union Minister expressed concerns over the rising drug menace in the state.

“The accused who committed this heinous crime attacked the police while trying to escape the arrest. The police shot the accused, and he died. The police were injured in the incident and are undergoing treatment. It is said that the accused was under the influence of drugs. However, in recent days, the menace of drugs has increased. It should be completely eradicated from civil society. I have given instructions to the Police Commissioner to consider this seriously and maintain law and order," he said.