8-year-old girl raped, murdered in Kalaburagi

An eight-year-old girl was raped and killed at Yakapur village in Chincholi taluk of the district on Monday.

The incident comes close on the heels of the rape and murder of a veterinarian in Hyderabad, which sparked widespread outrage.

Police identified the suspect as Yallappa, a 35-year-old tailor from Sulepet town. After partying with his brother at Yakapur, the suspect lured the girl, a class 2 student, with toffees. He took her to a secluded place on the outskirts of the village where he raped and killed her.

The parents of the girl launched a search after she failed to return home from school. When they learnt that she was seen with Yallappa, they confronted him, but he was evasive.

The villagers, meanwhile, spotted the girl’s body in the Mullamari irrigation project canal behind the anganwadi centre. The suspect was handed over to police. Police said Yallappa was married but his wife had eloped with her lover.

The victim's last rites were performed on Tuesday. The incident triggered protests across the district with activists and students taking to the streets, demanding capital punishment for the suspect.

BJP MP (Gulbarga) Umesh Jadhav raised the issue in the Lok Sabha and demanded strict action against the culprit.