Karnataka man kills minor after marriage deferred: Police

A 33-year-old man allegedly chopped off the head of a 16-year-old girl in Kodagu district of Karnataka on Thursday.

A 33-year-old man allegedly chopped off the head of a 16-year-old girl in Kodagu district of Karnataka on Thursday after the local child welfare department convinced the minor’s family to defer her marriage with him, officials said on Friday.

The accused is still absconding, say police. (Getty Images)

While the accused, identified as Monnanda Prakash Yane, is absconding, the girl’s parents are undergoing treatment for injuries sustained in the attack, the officials said.

“The incident occurred at Mutlu village on Thursday around 5.30pm. The accused was upset with the marriage being deferred,” Kodagu SP Ramarajan said. A team has been formed to capture Yane, he said.

Narrating the sequence of events, police officials said that the local unit of the Women and Child Welfare Department on Wednesdayreceived information about the marriage of a minor girl in Mutlu village of the district.

“Our women staff and I visited the girl’s house at around 1pm on Thursday,” district child protection unit coordinator Naveen Kumar said.

While the girl had recently cleared state board exams, the man is said to be a small coffee grower.

“The engagement had already taken place on Thursday. But we convinced both families to defer the marriage, as it is against law. Both families agreed to postpone the marriage for two years,” Kumar said.

“Prakash’s family members said they would bear the cost of the girl’s education. Our women officers spoke with the girl, who said that her family agreed to the marriage due to financial strain,” Kumar said, adding that both families even agreed to visit the child protection unit office next week for counselling.

But upset at the turn of events, Prakash Yane returned to the girl’s house hours later and accosted her parents, the girl’s brother said.

“He picked up an argument with my parents and attacked them. He then dragged my sister out of the house and attacked her with a sword, severing her head in the attack. He then fled the spot with her severed head,” the 20-year-old, the sole witness to the incident, said.

The girl’s parents are undergoing treatment at the Madikeri government hospital. The police are yet to find the girl’s head.