Man killed 7-yr-old girl for not buying gutka, held

The accused in a drunken rage, killed her in a drunken rage as she refused to bring him gutka for the second time on April 19

A 52-year-old man was arrested on Sunday for allegedly killing a seven-year-old girl in Yalaburga taluk on April 19, a police officer said.

The officer said that the victim, who was a neighbour of the accused, had gone missing on April 19. Her body was found two days later.

One the day of the murder, the neighbourhood was allegedly deserted as most of the villagers, including the victim’s family, were attending a wedding ceremony.

The officer said that the accused, identified as Siddalingaiah, who worked as a mechanic, was allegedly at home and allegedly intoxicated on the day of the incident.

Due to an injury sustained in a previous fight with his brothers, he was allegedly unable to move around easily, the officer said.

On the morning of the incident, Siddalingaiah had allegedly asked the minor to buy him gutkha. When she allegedly refused to do so again later that day, Siddalingaiah, in a drunken rage, allegedly struck her on the head with a stick, resulting in her death, the officer said.

Koppal SP Yashoda Vantagodi said: “Our team has successfully detected this challenging case. A reward of ₹25,000, initially announced for information leading to the accused, will now be given to our diligent staff who cracked the case.”

She further said that police has taken into possession crucial evidence, including the stick used by the accused to attack the victim, her slipper, and the water tank in which her body was concealed in.

The SP said that the investigation was particularly challenging due to the incident’s location in a densely populated area.

She said: “A special team was formed to address the complexities of the case. Despite the difficulties, the police persevered, with the accused often seen brazenly walking in front of investigators, confident that he would not be apprehended.” “The accused was even called in for questioning but initially managed to evade suspicion,” she added.

Koppal rural police registered a case under Indian Penal Code (IPC) section 302 (murder), she said adding that the investigation is ongoing.