Boy killed over friendship with girl in Karnataka's Kalaburagi

KALABURAGI: A 14-year-old boy, who was allegedly friendly with a girl from another community and missing for five days, was murdered and his body stuffed into a sack was thrown into Bhima river in Kalaburagi district late last week.
After villagers of Naribol in Jewargi taluk spotted the sack floating in the river, police rushed to the spot and pulled it out on Saturday afternoon only to find a decomposed body.
Police identified the body with help of his family members. The boy’s nose and genitals were chopped off before he was murdered, police sources said.
Girl’s mother had opposed friendship
Pkarjun olice said Kolli Mahesh , a Class Malli 9 stu- - dent at a government school and from Naribol, was said to be close to a 14-year-old girl from a neighbouring colony in the village for a few months. Her mother had opposed their friendship, especially after he gifted her a phone and the duo would talk frequently.
According to police, the girl’s mother advised the boy to not visit their area and leave the girl alone, but he reportedly ignored the warning. At that time, she mother sought the help of a relative to warn the boy. Police said the girl’s uncle whisked the boy away from his village on Monday on the pretext of talking to him.
When the boy did not return home, his father, a farmer, and others launched a hunt. After police recovered the body from the river about 1km from the boy’s residence on Saturday, the family was informed. The girl’s uncle and two of his accomplices have been taken into custody. Kalaburagi SP Simi Mariam George said they were looking into all angles.
The boy’s father, Mallikarjun Kolli, said his son was allegedly forced to drink and smoke ganja, and the assailants murdered him when he was in drunken stupor. “Instead of killing my son, they should have spoken to me if he was not on the right path,” he said.