The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) on Tuesday officially taken over the investigation into the death of Ritesh Kumar, who was accused of raping and murdering a five-year-old girl, during an encounter with police. The investigation team arrived in the city on Tuesday and received relevant case files from the Hubballi-Dharwad metropolitan police.
Ritesh Kumar was accused of murdering a five-year-old girl in the city, and police claimed he was killed while trying to flee custody on April 13. He was a migrant labourer from Bihar.
On Tuesday, CID superintendent of police Venkatesh, along with deputy superintendent of police Puneeth Kumar and inspector Manjunath, reached Bengaluru and collected primary information from the local police. “We have received all necessary documents related to the case and will conduct a thorough investigation,” Venkatesh said.
The team visited the site where the child was murdered and where Kumar died from gunshot wounds. They also conducted an inspection of the morgue at KMC-RI Hospital. “We checked the documents from the crime scene and obtained further information from local police officers,” Venkatesh added. They later held discussions at the Navanagar police commissioner’s office.
The accused was booked under a Protection of children from sexual offences (POCSO) case filed at the Ashok Nagar police station on April 13 following the assault on the minor. Kumar was taken into custody and transported to Rayanal Bridge for further questioning when he allegedly attacked the police officers and attempted to escape. During the confrontation, law enforcement was allegedly compelled to fire at him. He was admitted to KMC-RI Hospital, where he was declared dead.
{{/usCountry}}The accused was booked under a Protection of children from sexual offences (POCSO) case filed at the Ashok Nagar police station on April 13 following the assault on the minor. Kumar was taken into custody and transported to Rayanal Bridge for further questioning when he allegedly attacked the police officers and attempted to escape. During the confrontation, law enforcement was allegedly compelled to fire at him. He was admitted to KMC-RI Hospital, where he was declared dead.
{{/usCountry}}Earlier in the day, a division bench comprising chief justice NV Anjaria and Justice K V Aravind directed the state government to conduct post mortem examination of Ritesh Kumar.
The court emphasised the need to adhere to the Supreme Court’s 2014 guidelines regarding deaths caused by police action. The bench ordered that the post-mortem be conducted by two doctors at a local hospital. “Videography must be done throughout the procedure, and samples from the body should be preserved for possible use in further investigations,” the court stated.
The state government informed the high court on Tuesday that the accused’s body will be buried rather than cremated to ensure its availability for further investigation. Advocate general Shashi Kiran Shetty, appearing for the state, told the court that an FIR had already been registered
The post-mortem examination was later conducted at the KMCRI morgue in the presence of CID officers and a panchayat. The entire procedure was recorded.
“The post mortem examination has been completed, and we are now searching for his family members or acquaintances,” said Hubballi-Dharwad police commissioner N Shashikumar.
“Even if the relatives come after two or three months, we will have to bring the matter to their attention. The Supreme Court order in this regard is being duly followed,” he added while assuring that legal experts will be consulted before any further action is taken regarding the body.
With inputs from PTI