A court here convicted a youth on the charges of of rape and murder on Thursday and will pronounce the quantum of sentence on Thursday.
The VI Additional District and Sessions Judge D.P. Puttarangaswamy passed the order of conviction against Harish Kumar (24), a resident of Kattadabailu Padukonaje near Moodbidri for raping and murdering a 22-year-old woman.
Cases of murder and rape, booked under Sections 302 and 376 of the Indian Penal Code against the convict have been proved beyond reasonable doubt, the judge said.
The woman, who was working in a factory near Moodabidri, was returning home on May 16, 2011. She got down from the bus at Houdal and was walking to her home.
The convict followed the woman and raped her inside a forest at Murgekala. Fearing that the woman might reveal his identity, the convict strangled her to death before taking away her valuables including a mobile phone.
When her parents were searching for the woman, Harish too joined them expressing sympathy, the police said in the charge sheet.
The woman’s body was found around 8 p.m. the same day with a hand kerchief stuffed in her mouth.
The next day, Harish was arrested by Moodbidri police sub-inspector Ramesh Kumar and found the woman’s valuables and mobile phone in his possession.
Police Inspector Thimmiah, who conducted the investigation, had filed the charge sheet.
The prosecution was initially conducted by Shivaprasad Alva and was continued by Judith M. Crasta.
Boy drowns
An 11-year-old boy drowned in a private swimming pool in Puttur town police limits on Tuesday.
The police gave the name of the deceased as Deviprasad, a resident of Purusharakatte in the town.
The boy, son of Gangadhar and Pavithra, had gone to ASR Swimming Pool near bypass off Darbe circle along with his friends.
The boy, who had passed Class 5, had come to his relative's house at Purusharakatte to continue his education at Narimogaru.
When his peers in the neighbourhood decided to go to the pool, the boy too accompanied them. As he did not know swimming and entered deep side the pool, he drowned, the police said. Puttur town police have registered a case of unnatural death.
