Overview

• Police say the girl, from a Hakki-Pikki family that had come to sell balloons during Dasara, was found dead near Doddakere Maidan after going missing before dawn.
• The suspect, identified as Karthik of Siddalingapura, was tracked through CCTV and technical surveillance to Kollegal after fleeing by bus, according to officials.
• Officers say he tried to escape when confronted and was shot in the leg before being taken to a hospital, with plans to produce him in court after discharge.
• Investigators say Karthik had previously been jailed in an attempted rape case in Mandya and was released about four months ago, with two cases on record.
• Nazarbad police registered a case under POCSO, collected forensic samples for FSL analysis, and the killing has intensified scrutiny after a separate murder nearby two days earlier.