Bengaluru: Neighbour rapes, murders 6-year-old

Bengaluru: A six-year-old girl, who was missing for the last four days, was found raped and murdered at her neighbour's house in Girinagar police limits on Sunday evening. The accused has allegedly burnt the girl's body after raping and murdering her.

The victim is identified as Harshitha, a resident of Janashakthi Nagar near Veeranna Layout in Hosakerehalli. She was the daughter of Shivakumar and Saraswathi and was studying in first standard. Her parents are said to be daily wage labourers.

The girl had gone missing from near her house on Thursday and her parents, who searched for her, had filed a missing complaint the same night after not finding her.

On Sunday evening, neighbours sensed foul smell emanating from the house of Anil, who lived next to the girl's house. The house was locked from outside and the lock was broke open to find the girl's body.

"Prima facie, it appears to be a case of rape and murder. The accused has burnt the body and packed it in a carton box before fleeing. It is yet to be ascertained how he murdered the girl, as the body is burnt. Investigations revealed that Anil, a daily wager hailing from Kalaburagi, had told his neighbours that he is going to his hometown to bring his wife back. He left on Wednesday and has not yet returned. We have formed teams to trace him and are investigating whether any other person is involved in the crime," the police said.The Girinagar police have registered a case and are investigating further.