HUBBALLI: A 35-year-old migrant worker who allegedly kidnapped and murdered a five-year-old girl in Hubballi was nabbed within hours and shot dead when he tried to attack the police team which was taking him for questioning on Sunday evening.
Police said Ritesh Kumar, from Patna in Bihar, was doing odd jobs in Hubballi for some years. Around 10.40am Sunday, he allegedly lured the girl with snacks, led her into a bathroom where he tried to sexually assault her. Later, he murdered her and fled the spot.

Locals who found the girl’s body informed the police, who immediately formed five teams and started looking for him based on CCTV footage and mobile tower activity. A police officer said the suspect was caught within 3-4 hours of the incident. Later, he was handed over to the Ashok Nagar police station.
Police commissioner N Shashikumar told reporters that the accused, while being taken for spot mahazar, attacked police personnel with stones and tried to escape. At that time, police sub-inspector Annapurna fired three rounds in the air to deter him from escaping.
Hubballi girl’s body recovered from bathroom
When he tried to flee, cops shot him in the leg and the next round hit him in the back. He immediately collapsed. Police rushed him to KMC-RI Hospital where he was declared brought dead, the commissioner said.
The accused attacked the police team near Tarihal Underpass, 11km from the scene of crime, on the outskirts of the city. The girl’s body was taken to KMC-RI Hospital for postmortem and also to ascertain if she was sexually assaulted.
Soon after the girl’s body was recovered from the bathroom, angry residents protested outside Ashok Nagar police station, demanding the arrest of the accused. Pre-noon traffic was disrupted for about an hour.
The police commissioner said the girl’s family is from Koppal district. Her father works as a house painter, and the mother as a housemaid. The incident took place while the parents were away at work.
Union minister Pralhad Joshi visited the hospital and condoled with the girl’s parents. Expressing shock over the incident, MLC Saleem Ahmed said the govt has taken “the shameful” incident seriously. Haveri MP Basavaraj Bommai has expressed shock over the incident.
(The victim’s identity has not been revealed to protect her privacy as per Supreme Court directives on cases related to sexual assault)