A man who allegedly kidnapped and killed a five-year-old girl in Karnataka’s Hubballi has been killed in an encounter with the police, officials said today. A policeman was injured during the operation, they said.
The accused, 35-year-old Nitesh Kumar, attacked a police team after they caught him, and despite firing a warning shot, he tried to run away, officials said.
The man also faced a case of rape along with murder under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
“Nitesh Kumar’s hometown is Patna in Bihar. The police team was taking him to his place of stay to ascertain his identity when he attacked the team,” Hubballi police chief Shashi Kumar told reporters.
“In the process he damaged a police vehicle also… Meanwhile one of the police officers fired in the air, but he tried to escape. Two more rounds were fired at him. He was immediately taken to hospital, where the doctors declared him brought dead,” the Hubballi police chief said.
Sub-inspector Annapurna shot the two rounds at the accused, after which she and the police team caught him again.
Union Minister and Dharwad MP Pralhad Joshi told reporters it is an unfortunate incident.
“He was more violent against the police force and that time the action took place… The father and mother of the child are daily wagers. The government should provide them a good amount of compensation so that they can take care of their another child, who is differently abled,” Mr Joshi said.
After Nitesh Kumar kidnapped the girl and killed her after allegedly sexually assaulting her, a large number of residents had gathered in front of Hubballi’s Ashok Nagar police station, demanding justice.
The victim’s family is from Koppal district. Her mother works as a house help and as an assistant at a beauty parlour, while her father worked as a painter.
The mother had taken her daughter for work, as she was working at houses in the locality. An unidentified man had taken the girl from there.
“On searching, the girl was found in the bathroom of a small sheet roofed building in front of the house from where she had gone missing. She was immediately shifted to hospital, where she was declared brought dead,” a policeman had said.
The police scanned CCTV footage before closing in on the suspect.