A six-year-old girl was allegedly raped and murdered at Kacharakanahalli near HBR Layout on Saturday.

The KR Puram police gave the name of the victim as Sharadamma who lived with her parents in a makeshift tent near the Lakshmi Narasimha and Rama temple.

The girl’s body was found dumped in a bathroom on the temple premises. Police said the child was physically abused and her body bore strangulation marks. Preliminary investigation revealed that Sharadamma was in the habit of going to the temple in the afternoon to have ‘prasadam’. On Saturday too, she was seen at the temple, said the police who are yet to trace the suspect.

Sharadamma’s parents Venkatappa and Hanumakka work as labourers in a building under construction in the same area. The family arrived from Bellary 20 days ago in search of work.

The couple, who also have a son, took up construction work to make both ends meet. While their parents were away, Sharadamma took care of her younger brother, police said. By around 2 pm, the victim’s aunt, who also lives in the same locality, dropped by and fed lunch to both the children. Since she too works, she put the child to sleep, and told Sharadamma to take care of him.

The incident came to light when some youths spotted the girl’s body in one of the temple’s bathrooms and alerted the police.

The cops suspect neighbours’ role in the rape-murder.