Daijiworld Media Network – Hassan

Hassan, Sep 19: In a shocking twist to a murder case in Karnataka’s Hassan district, police say a 17-year-old boy allegedly raped and killed the very woman who had nurtured him like her own child. The gruesome crime occurred on September 15 in a banana plantation under the jurisdiction of Javagal Police Station in Arsikere taluk.

According to investigators, the victim—a 45-year-old daily wage labourer—had lovingly raised the boy since he lost his parents as an infant. Though she bore him no relation, she fed, clothed, and cared for him as a mother would, sending him to school and shielding him from the pain of being an orphan. Police say the teenager betrayed that trust, attacking her when they were alone, sexually assaulting and then brutally murdering her.

The woman left for work as usual on September 15 but did not return home by evening. Calls to her phone went unanswered, prompting villagers to search for her. The next morning, her body was found in a nearby banana grove with injury marks, raising immediate suspicion. Javagal police registered a case of unnatural death and began a detailed probe.

A villager told police that the woman and the boy she had raised were seen quarrelling earlier. Acting on this lead, investigators questioned the boy and uncovered the shocking crime. They allege that after sexually assaulting her, he killed her to silence her screams.

Seventeen years earlier, a neighbouring family had taken in the orphaned infant, and the victim—who worked in their household—treated him as her own son. Despite living a modest life as a labourer and without a husband, she dreamed of building a home for the boy she called her child.

Villagers suspect that someone may have helped the teen and have demanded a thorough investigation. They also insist on the harshest punishment, saying the act has left the entire community stunned and heartbroken.