 "The girl was playing nearby when the accused allegedly lured her away. Screengrab/IANS")
A man accused of kidnapping and killing a five-year-old girl earlier on Sunday was shot dead by the police later that evening while trying to flee in Karnataka.
The man was booked for murder under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act.
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Notably, the police have not confirmed whether sexual assault took place. They said that a medical examination is being carried out and investigations are ongoing.
In this report, we look at how the accused was killed, what happened to the 5-year-old girl, and what the police have said so far.
What happened?
The man has been identified as 35-year-old Ritesh Kumar, originally from Patna, Bihar.
He was charged with murder under the Pocso Act, as well as for attacking and trying to kill police officers, according to news agency PTI.
According to police, he allegedly abducted and killed the girl on Sunday morning in an area that falls under the Ashok Nagar police station in Karnataka.
Her body was recovered from an abandoned building later in the day, officials confirmed.
N Shashi Kumar, Police Commissioner of Hubballi-Dharwad, said, “Based on CCTV footage and leads from 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.”
He added that Kumar had not returned to his hometown for several years and had been doing odd jobs in different places.
“He is believed to have arrived in Hubballi two to three months ago and was living in an abandoned house near the Tarihala underpass,” the Commissioner said.
Investigators suspect the child may have been sexually assaulted before she was killed, but confirmation is awaited pending the post-mortem report, The Indian Express reported.
Police said that the man approached the girl with chocolates on Sunday morning. Her parents work as a painter and domestic help. Her mother had taken her along to the home where she was employed.
The girl was playing nearby when the accused allegedly lured her away.
When the girl’s disappearance came to light, her mother raised an alert. Neighbours joined in to look for her and eventually found her body in a deserted part of Adhyapaka Nagar in Hubballi.
The incident led to massive outrage in the area. Locals gathered outside Ashok Nagar police station and held a protest demanding justice.
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The encounter
According to the commissioner, Ritesh attempted to run away after throwing stones at the police team that had taken him to the place he had been staying, intending to retrieve documents and confirm his identity.
Kumar said Ritesh gave very little information during questioning and was unable to prove his identity.
“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,” he said.
He continued, “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.
“A separate case for attacking and attempting to murder police personnel has also been registered. Further investigation is underway.”
One sub-inspector and two other officers were injured in the conflict and have been admitted to hospital.
Ritesh was taken to the Karnataka Medical College and Research Institute in Hubballi, where doctors declared him “brought dead”.
Police confirmed that they are continuing with the probe and have also dispatched a team to Patna to gather more details about his history and previous whereabouts.
“He had confessed to the crime,” they said.
When asked if there had been any evidence of rape or sexual assault, the Commissioner responded, “There is no information as of now. The cause of death and any possible assault will be verified through further investigation.”
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Did the accused try to hit a woman cop?
Karnataka Chief Whip Saleem Ahmed said on Sunday that the police opened fire in self-defence after the accused allegedly tried to attack a woman officer.
He dismissed any suggestion of a lapse in law and order and said the force had responded appropriately.
“The commissioner has given me the information that the accused tried to hit the lady inspector, and in self-defence, she had to fire at him. It is not a failure of law and order. Our police are competent enough to take action, so have they,” he said.
With inputs from agencies