Love thy neighbour, don’t sexually assault

Hameed Ashraf | NT

Bengaluru: An elderly man died after he was beaten up by angry neighbours for allegedly sexually assaulting a minor in Hennur police station limits in the city. The person was identified as Kuppanna alias Kuppaswamy, 73, a resident of Babusapalya.

The incident took place after a 12-year-old girl reportedly went missing from her home on Sunday evening. In a complaint filed with the jurisdictional police, the parents of the girl stated that their daughter came out of the house to collect her school uniform, which she had hung outside to dry after washing.

As she did not return for a long time, the parents went searching for her in the neighbourhood and found her in a halfdressed state inside Kuppaswamy’s house. Suspecting Kuppaswamy of sexually assaulting their daughter, the parents, along with other neighbours stormed into his house and thrashed him up.

The Hennur police told News Trail that the girl’s relatives had filed a complaint against Kuppaswamy on Monday morning. However, when the cops reached the spot, they found the person unconscious and rushed him to a government hospital, where the doctors declared him dead.

A case under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (Posco) and a countercomplaint alleging murder have now been filed with the jurisdictional police. Further investigation into the case is underway