A Mysuru POCSO court has sentenced 31-year-old Karthik to death for the rape and murder of a 10-year-old girl who had travelled to the city with her parents to sell balloons during last year’s Dasara celebrations. The court also imposed a fine of ₹1 lakh and directed the District Legal Services Authority to provide ₹13.50 lakh in compensation to the child’s family.
Special POCSO Court judge Anand P. Hogade announced the sentence on Saturday, two days after the court found Karthik guilty. The case concerned the death of the girl, whose body was found in a drain beside the family’s makeshift hut near the Nagaswamy Temple area on the morning of October 9, 2025.
According to the report, the child’s parents were staying in the temporary settlement after travelling from North Karnataka for the Dasara season. They were preparing to return to their home district when the girl was killed. The family’s living conditions and seasonal work brought them into an exposed urban environment close to a major public event, although the court proceedings focused on the criminal charges against the accused.
The case was registered at the Nazarbad police station following a complaint by the girl’s mother. Police traced Karthik’s movements through closed-circuit television footage and arrested him. During the investigation, he was taken to his native place in Siddalingapura as part of the mahazar procedure, according to the report. While he was being brought back, police said he attempted to escape near Metagalli. He was shot in the right leg and taken into custody.
The prosecution relied on several forms of evidence during the trial. These included the post-mortem examination report prepared by the forensic medicine department of Mysore Medical College and Research Institute, DNA testing conducted at the State Forensic Science Laboratory in Bengaluru, and digital evidence. The court considered this material before holding Karthik guilty on Thursday and announcing the sentence on Saturday.
The compensation direction places responsibility on the District Legal Services Authority to provide financial assistance to the child’s family. The order was issued alongside the death sentence and fine. The report does not provide further details on the timeline or process for disbursing the compensation.
Government prosecutor K.B. Jayanthi represented the state, while Principal Legal Services Defence Counsel Machangada Naveen represented the accused. The sentencing order marks the latest judicial step in a case that began with the discovery of the child’s body near the family’s temporary shelter in Mysuru. Further legal proceedings connected to the sentence will follow the court process.
