A 16-year-old girl has been taken into custody for allegedly helping her 23-year-old friend murder her grandmother in Karnataka's Mandya district after the woman objected to their friendship, police said on Tuesday.
The accused youth, identified as Akash, who works as a driver, is absconding.
The victim, identified as 55-year-old Mahadevamma, was found dead at her house in Bookanakere village in K R Pet taluk on the morning of October 11. Police initially suspected that the death was not natural after relatives noticed marks on her neck.
What led to the investigation
A complaint by a relative, identified as Ravikumar, who raised suspicions about the circumstances of her death, led to an investigation.
Mandya superintendent of police Shobha Rani told HT that the investigation, based on the minor's confession, indicated that the girl had allegedly called Akash to the house on the night of October 10 and assisted him in the murder.
“Based on a complaint filed by Ravikumar, who suspected that Mahadevamma’s death was not natural, we registered a case and began an investigation. Our inquiry revealed that her 16-year-old granddaughter, who is in conflict with the law, allegedly committed the crime in collusion with her friend Akash,” she said.
The alleged crime
Investigators suspect that the grandmother's objection to the relationship was the motive for the murder. Police said Mahadevamma had advised her granddaughter against maintaining a close relationship with Akash after seeing them together.
The girl allegedly became angry over the advice and involved him in the plan to kill her grandmother.
According to the police investigation, the alleged attack took place around 11 pm on October 10, when Mahadevamma was asleep. The girl allegedly woke her grandmother before Akash assaulted her. A bedsheet was reportedly stuffed into the woman's mouth to prevent her from raising an alarm.
When Akash allegedly asked for an object to use in the attack, the girl is said to have handed him a scarf. After it reportedly tore, she allegedly brought a rope from inside the house. Police suspect that Akash used the rope to strangle Mahadevamma before fleeing, said police.
How the crime surfaced
The death initially appeared natural to the family. On the morning of October 11, a woman identified as Yashodha visited the house and tried to speak to Mahadevamma, but received no response. The granddaughter allegedly told her that she had been asleep through the night and did not know what had happened.
Relatives later noticed marks on Mahadevamma's neck, raising suspicions that she had been murdered. Ravikumar subsequently approached the K R Pet Rural Police Station, leading to the investigation.
Shobha Rani said police had registered a murder case and were awaiting the autopsy report. Investigators are searching for Akash, who allegedly fled after the incident.
“Based on the confession of the minor girl, we booked a case of murder and are awaiting the autopsy report. The prime accused, Akash, who works as a driver, is absconding after the incident,” she said.