A special POCSO court in Mysuru has sentenced a 31-year-old man to death for the rape and murder of a 10-year-old girl who had come to the city with her family to sell balloons during Dasara, according to a report by Prajavani.
The court also imposed a fine of ₹1 lakh on the convict, identified as Karthik, a resident of Siddalingapura. It directed the District Legal Services Authority to provide ₹13.50 lakh in compensation to the victim’s family.
The girl’s family had travelled from north Karnataka for seasonal balloon sales and was living in a temporary hut erected on vacant land near the Nagaswamy Temple at Ittige Goodu. Her body was found in a drain beside the hut in the early hours of October 9, 2025, the report said.
A complaint by the girl’s mother led to the registration of a POCSO case at the Nazarbad police station. Investigators identified Karthik through CCTV footage showing his movements and subsequently arrested him.
According to the report, police took the accused to Siddalingapura during the investigation for a spot inspection. While returning, he allegedly attempted to escape near Metagalli, after which police shot him in the right leg and apprehended him.
The prosecution relied on the post-mortem examination conducted by the forensic medicine department of Mysuru Medical College, DNA testing carried out at the State Forensic Science Laboratory in Bengaluru and the FSL report. The court found Karthik guilty after considering this evidence.
The case also highlights the conditions faced by families who travel to cities for short-term festival work and live in temporary settlements near commercial or public activity zones. Such arrangements can place migrant workers outside the regular systems of housing, sanitation, lighting and formal security that operate in permanent neighbourhoods. The available report, however, does not provide details of the city’s arrangements for temporary vendors or festival-season accommodation.
The sentence was pronounced by POCSO special court judge Anand P. Hogade. Government prosecutor K.B. Jayanthi represented the state, while Machangad Naveen, the principal legal services defence counsel, represented the accused.
The court’s death sentence remains a judicial order in the case. The report does not provide details of any subsequent confirmation proceedings or appeal. The compensation order is to be implemented through the District Legal Services Authority.
