Tirthahalli girl’s death: CID may file closure report

Bengaluru: With the confirmation from the Forensic Science Laboratory that the 14-year-old girl from Tirthahalli, who died on October 31 in a private hospital in Manipal, had consumed rat poison, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), which is investigating the case, may file a ‘B’ (closure) report in the case.

Armed with the postmortem report by Kasturba Medical College (KMC) Hospital in Manipal, where she was brought dead on October 31, which stated that the teenager had died due to “cardiac arrest”, with no evidence of sexual assault, as was alleged by her father Krishnamurthy, the forensic examination of the ‘death’ note, which confirmed that it was written by her and now the toxicology report, which reportedly confirmed presence of rat poison in the deceased’s viscera, the CID may register a case of suicide (Section 309 of the Indian Penal Code). The case had turned highly political, unnerving the government three weeks ago.

“The investigation is almost complete and the CID may file a ‘B’ (closure) report in the case,” a police officer on condition of anonymity.

The Tirthahalli police on November 1 had registered the First Information Report (FIR) (Crime number 352) under Section 354 of the Indian Penal Code (assault or criminal force to woman with intention to outrage her modesty) against unknown persons after Mr Krishnamurthy lodged a criminal complaint against three unknown youth (allegedly from minority community) for kidnapping and sexually assaulting his minor daughter, when she was on her way to school. He had also stated in the complaint that they had given her something suspicious to drink.