Hubballi: The Bihar-based accused who kidnapped, raped and murdered a five-year-old girl in Adhyapak Nagar, Hubballi, was shot dead by police.
Taking the murder of a five-year-old girl seriously, the Hubballi police had formed several teams to find the accused based on CCTV footage. The police who started the investigation found the location of the accused, Ritesh Kumar, who hails from Bihar. At this time, the police tried to arrest the accused. But Ritesh Kumar tried to attack the police and the police opened fire in self-defense. The bullets fired by the police penetrated the legs and chest of the accused, causing him to collapse. In order to save the accused, the police admitted him to the district hospital and started treating him. But the doctors declared him dead.
The incident took place when the girl’s father had gone to work. The girl’s mother was working inside the house and the child was playing with the load. Noticing this, Ritesh Kumar abducted the girl on the pretext of giving her chocolates. The movements of the accused were captured on CCTV. When the mother came to know that her daughter was missing, she joined hands with the locals and started a search for her. The girl’s parents are from Koppal and had come to Hubballi for painting work. According to the locals, the girl’s body was found in the unused toilet of an under-construction building.
Immediately after the body was found, locals, especially women, staged a massive protest in front of the Ashok Nagar police station. Senior police officers including city police Commissioner N. Shashi Kumar visited the station and tried to pacify the protesting people. Locals had identified the accused through CCTV footage. Based on this, the police launched an operation.
