CCTV, escape, shootout: How Karnataka police gunned down Bihar man accused of murdering 5-year-old girl

The accused was shot dead by Hubballi police while trying to flee custody, according to senior officials.

A five-year-old girl was allegedly kidnapped and murdered in Hubballi on Sunday morning, triggering public outrage. Hours later, the man accused of the crime was shot dead by police while allegedly attempting to escape custody.

The incident unfolded in Hubballi's Ashok Nagar police station limits.(Representational image)

The accused, identified as 35-year-old Ritesh Kumar from Patna, Bihar, was allegedly involved in the kidnapping and killing of the child earlier in the day. He was shot dead by police in the evening while trying to flee custody, according to senior officials, news agency PTI reported.

According to the report, the incident unfolded in the Ashok Nagar police station limits, where the child, whose family hails from the Koppal district, was accompanying her mother, who works as a domestic help and beauty parlour assistant, during her morning rounds of work.

Ritesh is believed to have lured the child away. Her body was later discovered in the bathroom of a sheet-roofed, abandoned structure opposite the house where she had gone missing.

“The girl was immediately rushed to a hospital, but doctors declared her dead on arrival,” Hubballi-Dharwad Police Commissioner N Shashi Kumar said, adding that the nature of her injuries and any sexual assault would be confirmed after further investigation.

CCTV footage and inputs from local residents helped police quickly identify and apprehend the accused. “He was interrogated for over three hours but revealed very little and couldn’t conclusively establish his identity. However, CCTV footage clearly shows him committing the crime,” the Commissioner said.

Initial investigation revealed that Ritesh had been away from his native place for several years, working odd jobs. He had reportedly arrived in Hubballi around two to three months ago and had been staying in an abandoned house near the Tarihala underpass.

Encounter details

Police took Ritesh to this location to verify his identity and collect documents. That’s when, officials said, he turned violent, pelting stones at the police vehicle and attacking officers. PSI Annapurna, a woman officer accompanying the team, fired a warning shot in the air. When Ritesh continued to flee, officers fired two to three rounds, one of which struck his leg and another his back.

He collapsed and was rushed to KMC Hospital, where doctors pronounced him dead.

Three police personnel, PSI Annapurna and constables Yeshwant and Veeresh, were injured during the scuffle but are reported to be out of danger.

Ritesh had been booked under multiple sections, including charges of murder and provisions under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. A separate case was also filed for attacking and attempting to murder police officers.

Enraged by the child’s death, a large number of residents gathered outside the Ashok Nagar police station on Sunday, demanding swift justice and transparency in the investigation.