RAMANAGARA: The Tavarakere police on Thursday arrested a mason for the murder and suspected rape of an 14-year-old girl in the town on Wednesday. The accused hails from Raichur and was working in Tavarekere for the last few months.
On Wednesday, the victim was alone at home and her parents and brother were away at work. The family hails from Koppal and was living in Tavarekere for the last two years where they were working as masons.
The accused, who was allegedly under the influence of ganja, barged into the girl’s home and allegedly raped and murdered her. He was arrested in the wee hours before he could plan his escape. He was attempting to sell an LPG cylinder to fund his escape, police said.
Police Superintendent R Srinivas Gowda on Thursday said, “We have arrested one person and are questioning him. While it is certain that the girl was murdered, the post-mortem report will reveal if there was rape”.
He further said that the accused have moved in to a rented house at Kuvempu Nagar in Tavarekere about six months ago and spotted the victim about 15 days ago during a local festival. “He would watch her movements every day and on Wednesday afternoon, he barged into the victim’s house and murdered her. He tried to sell an LPG cylinder to raise money for his escape, but he was arrested by then. We are questioning him further and investigation is under way”, the SP added.
The SP said the accused was wanted in a theft case registered in Bengaluru and they are looking into whether he was involved in other cases.
