Subhas Naikar, the rape suspect.
A two-and-a-half-year-old girl is battling for life after a youth allegedly raped her and almost buried her alive at Vannur village, Bailhongal taluk, on Friday, police said.
Subhas Mahadev Naikar saw the girl playing in the government primary school around 6 pm. He lured her by inviting her to play with him and then allegedly raped her behind the school building. He bit her on the face and chest before digging a pit in a narrow lane beside the school compound, where he almost buried her alive.
By then, the girl's father and other villagers — anxious that she hadn't returned home even after 7 pm — began searching for her. They were drawn to her cries and rushed to the spot. The father leapt to rescue the girl while the villagers thrashed the suspect. The police were called and the suspect was turned over to them.
The girl was treated at the primary health centre at Nesargi village before being admitted to the district hospital in Belagavi. Doctors operated upon her to stop the bleeding and her condition remains critical.
Naikar was arrested by the police after a medical examination.