A medical examination has confirmed that a six-year-old migrant girl was sexually assaulted before being strangled to death in the Whitefield area of Bengaluru, Karnataka, last week, triggering widespread shock and calls for swift justice.
The victim, identified as Shahajan Khatoon, went missing on 5 January while playing near her home; her body was found later that night in a drain near a temple in Nallurahalli. Police identified and arrested 35-year-old neighbour, Yusuf Meer (also reported as Yusuf Khan), who was traced and detained at Cuttack railway station in Odisha while trying to flee the state.
Authorities have added charges under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and are continuing a detailed investigation. The case has drawn public outrage, with community members and civil society demanding tougher safeguards and quicker legal action.
Autopsy Findings and Police Probe
According to the post-mortem and forensic medical reports, the six-year-old girl was sexually assaulted before being strangled, leading to her death. Police sources confirmed that the examination unequivocally established the sexual assault, intensifying the gravity of the case. The cause of death was ruled as asphyxiation by strangulation, and the body was found wrapped in a gunny bag dumped in a drain near a temple in Nallurahalli, within the jurisdiction of the Whitefield police station.
The victim’s father, who works as a rag picker, filed a missing person complaint on 5 January after his daughter failed to return home. Officers immediately began combing the area, examined local CCTV footage, and interrogated residents before piecing together the sequence of events that ultimately led to the discovery of her body. The delay between her disappearance and the recovery of the body prompted critics to question local safety measures for vulnerable families and children in marginalised communities.
A senior police official has stated that investigators have now formally included rape charges under the POCSO Act in addition to the murder charge against the accused. This legal provision, designed to protect minors from sexual offences, carries stringent penalties including extended prison sentences and broader prosecutorial powers to ensure justice is served.
Neighbourly Disputes Turn Deadly
Police identified the primary suspect as 35-year-old Yusuf Meer (also referenced as Yusuf Khan in some reports), who lived near the victim’s family in the Pattandur Agrahara/ Nallurahalli area. Officers say that he worked as a scrap collector and had moved to Bengaluru roughly six months ago. According to initial investigation notes, there were ongoing disputes between the accused and the child’s mother, involving both domestic irritation and professional rivalry stemming from their shared occupation as rag pickers.
The exact nature of these disagreements ranging from minor quarrels over daily routine issues to deeper tensions about shared space appears to have exacerbated tensions. Police sources told The Times of India that the accused may have been “enraged by the fights and filled with rivalry,” leading to his heinous actions, though comprehensive motive clarification remains part of the ongoing investigation.
Following the crime, the accused attempted to flee the city on foot and later by train, prompting a cross-state manhunt. Bengaluru police, using lead tracking and inter-agency cooperation, intercepted the suspect at Cuttack railway station in Odisha and brought him back to Bengaluru under a transit warrant issued by a local court.
Public Reaction and Legal Proceedings
The brutality of the crime has provoked a strong response from the local community, civil society groups, and child welfare advocates. Human rights activists have condemned the incident as symptomatic of broader societal failures to protect vulnerable children and address deep-rooted conflicts within informal settlements. Calls have grown louder for improved policing, better child safety measures, and more accessible community dispute mediation processes.
Officials have assured that the investigation will be thorough and transparent. Additional forensic evidence including CCTV material, witness testimonies, and digital tracking of the suspect’s movements will be used to build a strong prosecutable case. The suspect remains in custody as detailed interrogation progresses, with the police awaiting further forensic results to corroborate timelines and behaviour patterns leading up to the crime.
