Karnataka: Man pushes daughter, 14, into canal

BALLARI: Angry that his 14-year-old daughter was in a relationship with a boy from another community, a 45-year-old man allegedly killed her by pushing her into a canal outside Ballari town and fled to Tirupati before surrendering before police on Tuesday.
The incident took place in Ballari district's Kurugod town on October 31, and came to light after the accused was arrested nearly 10 days later. The girl's body has not been recovered yet. Police said the accused, Omkargouda, and a friend, who aided him in the murder, have been arrested and remanded in judicial custody. The girl was studying class 8 in a local school.
Sources said Omkargouda hatched a plot to eliminate his daughter after she repeatedly ignored his warnings to stay away from her 25-year-old boyfriend.
Before committing the murder, Omkargouda reportedly transferred to his bank account Rs 20 lakh he had kept in his daughter's account. Sources said the money in the daughter's account was proceeds from a land sale Omkargouda had executed.
Ballari SP Ranjith Kumar Bandaru told TOI Omkargouda was working as a manager in a bar in Kudithini. Quoting the accused, the police officer said the girl would often talk to her boyfriend on the phone instead of focusing on studies, earning the wrath of her father.
The youth works in the liquor outlet where Omkargouda works. Police said they would soon summon the boy for questioning in the case.
On the pretext of taking her to watch a movie, Omkargouda allegedly took his daughter to Kurugod town, about 20km from Kudithini, on his bike on October 31. After breakfast, the accused bought her a piece of imitation jewellery and they spent time around the town before getting ready to return home by evening. The SP said on the way back, Omkargouda stopped his bike on a high-level canal built across Tungabhadra river. Out of the blue, he pushed his daughter into the overflowing canal, handed over his bike to his aide before taking a bus to Tirupati.
When the father and daughter did not return home at night, his wife filed a complaint with police the next day. Around the same time, Omkargouda called up his wife and confessed to her about the murder. As soon as he arrived at Koppal bus stand on November 8 while returning from Tirupati, Omkargouda was arrested. The police officer said the accused confessed to the crime during questioning.