The Taverekere police on Wednesday arrested a 25-year-old labourer for allegedly bludgeoning a 14-year-old girl to death after sexually assaulting her.
The accused has been identified as Yellappa from Raichur. A construction worker, Yellappa stayed in a nearby area of the victim and used to visit her place often.
The accused, who knew that her family would go to work leaving the girl alone, allegedly barged into the house and raped the girl. The police said that when the girl resisted, he bludgeoned her to death with a log.
Later, he stole a gas cylinder from the victim’s house in an attempt to make it look like a robbery gone wrong, and sped away on a bike.
The incident came to light when the girl’s brother returned home from work in the evening and found her lying dead in a pool of blood.
The police registered a case and within hours of the incident, they nabbed the accused who reportedly confessed to the crime.