Updated on: 08 April 2023 12:42 PM IST | Mumbai
S S Nadar | news@debotimes.in

The woman, since she knew him, boarded the bike but the accused took her to the nearby field instead of her house. The accused then tried to rape her. When the woman resisted, he smashed her head with a stone and killed her on the spot. He raped her after she died, the police said

An 85-year-old woman was allegedly murdered and raped by a 32-year-old man in an agricultural field in Hassan district. The accused was arrested on Thursday, police said.

According to police, the woman had gone to her agricultural field at Erehalli village in Arsikere taluk on April 1 and did not return home. The family members filed a missing on April 2 complaint with Arsikere rural police station.

After the search, the naked body of the woman was found on April 2 in a secluded place near her field with her head smashed officials said. The police during the investigation found that the accused was wandering near the crime spot on his bike three days ago. Upon interrogation, the accused, Mithun Kumar (32), confessed to the crime.

Police said the accused was known to the deceased. The woman came to visit her field, which is 2 kilometres from her house in Madalu village, on the walk. But while returning she could not identify the path.

Seeing her, the accused came on a bike and offered to drop her home. The woman, since she knew him, boarded the bike but the accused took her to the nearby field instead of her house. The accused then tried to rape her. When the woman resisted, he smashed her head with a stone and killed her on the spot. He raped her after she died, the police said.

“Initially, we had no clues about the miscreant. But we knew the accused must be nearby and managed to arrest him,” Arsikere Rural police station inspector Raghavendra Prakash said.

“On April 2 we registered an FIR on the missing woman and we modified it after we found the body. We picked up the accused on Thursday on suspicion. Upon interrogation, he confessed to the crime. A case has been registered under IPC 376 (rape) and 302 (murder) against the accused. We are investigating whether the accused is involved in a similar crime in other parts of the taluk,” Prakash said.