The nine-year-old girl, who was found dead in a tank near Channarayapatna on December 16, was allegedly raped and murdered, Hassan SP Ram Nivas Sepat said on Sunday.
The preliminary report of the post-mortem conducted at Hassan Institute of Medical Sciences in Hassan stated that the death was due to “asphyxia as a result of smothering with signs of recent sexual assault”, the SP said in a press release.
The girl, studying in Class 4, went missing after she went to take part in a festival near Channarayapatna with her brother and friends on December 14. As she did not return, her mother and relatives searched for her and filed a complaint with the police on December 16. The same day she was found dead in a tank at Madaba village
One arrested
Following the post-mortem, Channarayapatna Rural Police registered a case under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 besides the relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code.
The SP said Suresh, 21, of Madaba village had been arrested in this regard. The accused allegedly raped the girl, murdered her and threw her body into the tank.
