Daijiworld Media Network - Beltangady (MSP)

Beltangady, May 30 : An incident in which a 12-year-old girl died under mysterious circumstances, has been registered as murder at Beltangady police station.

The police suspect that the mother of the deceased Abbu Sali, wife of late Hussain from Sunaladka House near Gerukatte, facilitated the murder of her daughter as the girl was objecting to an illicit affair the mother was said to be having with a person named Sheriff (28) from Moorugoli village. The villagers had been critical of the frequent visit of the alleged paramour Sheriff and the murdered girl is said to have been passing on information about this affair to her maternal uncle.

Sheriff, who claimed to be having the powers to invoke demigods on people by placing his palms on their heads, is said to have placed his hands on the head of the girl on Tuesday night. Later, claiming that the demigod had taken shelter in the girl's body, he hit her with a cudgel till she breathed her last. The suspicion of the people and the police on the accused has become more profound, because of the fact that the mother kept the dead body in a corner of her house, tried to wash the blood stains and hid the girl's blood-stained clothes in a secluded spot. The people, sensing the absence of the girl and growing suspicious on the evasive replies of the mother when they approached her house for taking the girl along to Madrassa, probed further. When confronted, the mother came out with a story that the girl had fallen from a tree and died, which appeared absurd.

Based on a complaint filed by Mohammed, maternal uncle of the deceased, the Beltangady police have registered a case and are investigating.