The body of a 10-year-old girl was found near Dodda Kere Maidan, close to Mysuru Palace, early Thursday morning. Police suspect the child was sexually assaulted before being murdered.
The victim's family, along with about 50 others from the Hakki Pikki community, had traveled from Kalaburagi to Mysuru for the Dasara festival to sell balloons and toys. They were camping near the Palace grounds and selling goods at locations like Chamundi Hill, the Exhibition Grounds, Bannimantap, and Devaraja Market.
On Wednesday night, the families returned to their tents around midnight after work. At about 4 am, the girl's relatives woke due to rain and discovered she was missing. They filed a missing person complaint at Nazarbad Police Station. A search led to the discovery of the child's partially clothed body in a pit near their makeshift shelters around 6:30 am.
The girl's family alleged she had been raped and murdered.
Mysuru Police launched a manhunt for the suspect and arrested Karthik from Kollegal. He allegedly attempted to flee during the arrest, forcing police to shoot him in the leg before taking him into custody.
The girl's body has been sent for a post-mortem examination. Investigations continue.
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