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35-year-old abducts, kills girl; shot dead by cops
The encounter came hours after the body of the minor girl was found in an abandoned building in Adhyapak Nagar in Ashok Nagar police station limits.
The police on Sunday shot a 35-year-old man, on the run for the murder of a five-year-old girl, in Hubballi district of Karnataka, hours after locals in the area held protests over the incident. The police are also probing if the girl was assaulted before she was killed.
The accused, identified as Patna-resident Ritesh Kumar, attacked the police personnel who proceeded to arrest him after a search, Hubballi-Dharwad police commissioner N Shashi Kumar said. As the police retaliated, Ritesh was shot and died during treatment at a hospital, the officer said.
“The police laid a trap to apprehend the suspect. After receiving information about his hiding place, the officers proceeded to arrest him. Ritesh Kumar assaulted the police and attempted to flee,” Kumar said.
“The bullet hit the Kumar in the back. Immediately, the police took him to KRIMS Hospital where he succumbed to injuries,” the officer said.
The encounter came hours after the body of the minor girl was found in an abandoned building in Adhyapak Nagar in Ashok Nagar police station limits.
The girl allegedly went missing when she playing outside her house, while her parents, both migrant labourers, were at work. The accused lured the minor with chocolates and took her to a secluded location.
“The family, originally from Koppal, had migrated to Hubballi for domestic and painting work. The girl’s father works in painting... During this time, the child was playing outside when an unknown youth took her away,” commissioner Kumar said following a meeting with the girl’s parents earlier in the day.
“The child’s body was found in a dilapidated building,” he added.
The accused was nabbed based on CCTV footage and information from the locals.
“The accused was taken into custody and interrogated for three to four hours. He shared very little information and failed to establish his identity conclusively. However, the CCTV footage clearly captures him committing the crime,” Kumar said.
“To verify his identity and collect any documents, he was taken to his place of stay. Suddenly, he threw stones at the police vehicle and attacked the officers before trying to flee. Our woman officer, PSI Annapurna, fired a warning shot in the air. When he did not stop, two to three rounds were fired at him. One bullet struck his leg, and another hit his back,” he added.
The accused collapsed and was immediately shifted to KMC Hospital, where doctors declared him dead. PSI Annapurna and two personnel — Yeshwant and Veeresh — were injured in the incident but are out of danger.
“The five-year-old girl’s death has been registered as a murder case. A POCSO case has also been filed,” he said, adding that “medical examination will determine if sexual assault occurred”.
“A separate case for attacking and attempting to murder police personnel has also been registered. Further investigation is underway,” the Commissioner said.
The incident sparked widespread anger among local residents, who staged a protest outside the Ashok Nagar police station earlier in the day. They demanded immediate and severe punishment for the accused.
