Bengaluru police arrested a 26-year-old man for sexually assaulting and murdering a 3 and a half year old girl in Kaveripura on Tuesday, January 31. The accused, known to the victim's mother, was alone with the child on Monday.
According to the police, when the girl's mother returned home, the accused tried to cover up what happened by saying that the child had fallen unconscious after being beaten. However, after being taken to the hospital, it was revealed that the girl had been sexually assaulted before her death. The accused fled the scene, but was later caught by Kamakshipalya police on Tuesday night. He has been charged with murder and sexual assault under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012.
The data from National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) reveals a 16.2% increase in crimes against children in India from 2020 to 2021. South India, Karnataka has the highest number of child abuse cases with 7,261, followed by Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Kerala, and Andhra Pradesh. The report states that the major crime categories under "Crimes Against Children" were Kidnapping and Abduction (45.0%) and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO), 2012 (38.1%), including child rape.