Missing girl found dead, kin allege she was sacrificed

HUBBALLI: A five-year-old girl was found dead in a newly constructed building at Hosalli village of Koppal district on Thursday. The girl was identified as Gayatri Sharanappa Mahinalli. She was said to be missing since January 26.
Alleging black magic behind the girl's death, Gayatri's parents and relatives staged a protest in Koppal district hospital. They claimed that the girl was kidnapped and sacrificed to unearth the hidden treasure under the building in which she was found dead.They demanded that the culprits behind the act be arrested soon.
However, police denied black magic charges. "Our preliminary investigation has revealed that the girl was abducted on January 26 and murdered. We didn't find any clues about black magic," said Satish Patil, circle inspector of Munirabad police station, Koppal.
"The body had turned black and relatives mistook it for black magic. We are investigating the case and will soon nab the culprits," Patil added.
A case of murder and kidnap has been registered at Munirabad police station.