A 14-year-old Hindu youth Kolli Mahesh, a class 9 student studying at a government school in Naribol, was brutally murdered for developing a close friendship with a 14-year-old Muslim girl from a neighbouring colony in the village. His body was thrown into the Bhima river in Karnataka’s Kalaburagi district.
The incident was first reported on February 27 after the villagers recovered a dead body in the Bhima river a few kilometres away from the village. The police rushed to the spot and pulled the dead body that was stuffed inside a gunny bag, only to find a decomposed body. According to the police, the boy’s nose and genitals were chopped off before he was murdered.
The deceased boy’s uncle Vishwanath said that Mahesh left home on the evening of 22 February, saying he was going to a temple and would be back in 15 minutes. As he did not return, the family became anxious and inquired about his whereabouts from his friends.
A case has been filed against the girl’s mother and her friend Mehboob under IPC sections 363 (kidnapping), 302 (murder), 201 (disappearance of evidence) and sections of the SC/ST Prevention of atrocities act. The family said they have received some compensation from the state government under the SC/ST Prevention of atrocities act.
The police have arrested Mehboob and two of his accomplices in connection with the case.
