A 10-year-old girl was allegedly raped by her father and the paramour of his second wife before being poisoned to death in Channapatna taluk last month.
On Monday, the police arrested the girl’s father Rajanna (40), his second wife Ratnamma (35) and Beesegowda (50). According to the police, Rajanna had allegedly raped his daughter from his first wife last month. The girl informed her step-mother who told Beesegowda, her paramour, who also allegedly raped her, police said. Fearing that the girl would expose them, they laced her dinner with pesticide.
When Rajanna returned home, Ratnamma told him that the girl was bitten by a snake. They took the unconscious girl to a nearby hospital from where she was shifted to Bowring hospital in Bangalore. In the hospital, Rajanna scolded Ratnamma for not taking proper care of the girl. This led to a heated argument after which Ratnamma threatened to expose Rajanna. After the argument, the couple slipped away from the hospital leaving the girl behind.
On June 18, the girl passed away. Doctors, who realised that it was a case of poisoning, alerted the police. A post-mortem revealed rape.