Teenage girl student raped and set ablaze; cousin arrested

• Girl may have been drugged before being abducted
• Accused tried to mislead the police

Haveri: A pre-university student was murdered and then allegedly raped near Karnataka’s Haveri. Her partially-burnt body was found near a bridge located 14 km away from Haveri on Thursday August 9^th. Autopsy, investigators have concluded that the girl was raped after she was murdered.

Manjanagouda Patil (28), cousin of the deceased girl Sharadha (17) has been arrested by the police on suspicion that he may have committed the crime. Manjanagouda was the last person to see Sharada alive as he had dropped her to college on August 6^th, inform the police. 

After his daughter had not returned from college, Sharadha’s father lodged a complaint with Haveri Rural police the following day. The girl may have been drugged before being abducted, said the investigators.

“After arresting him, he revealed that he was the one who killed her. There are signs of struggle so it may be that she was abducted and then sexually assaulted. She was killed and then raped,” said a police officer.

Manajangouda had initially tried to dupe the police by assisting them in the probe. He had said that Sharada was raped by four men and had even identified them, said the police.

But while interrogating the suspects, the police found the evidence to be inconclusive and realised that Manjanagouda was trying to mislead them.

Incident

On August 6^th, Manjunathgouda took the victim to the college in his car. On the way, he diverted from the route and took her to his sister’s house in Vidyanagar East Block of the city. Once inside the house, he attempted to rape her. When she resisted, he hit her head and after she collapsed, on the bed he raped her.

“He also confessed that he smothered her with a piece of cloth to ensure she died. Then he poured acid over her upper body, got a ruck sack, stuffed her body into it and dumped it near Varadahalli Varada river bridge,” said the investigating officer.

“Her upper body was burnt partially. She had died before she was set on fire. Her body was dumped under the bridge and remnants of her college uniform and some jewellery were found,” informed the police officer.

Haveri Rural Police have registered a case of rape, murder and destruction of evidence against Manjanagouda. The vehicle used by the accused to drop the victim to college is missing.