Belgaum, April 27, 2013, DHNS;

Her naked body was found lying in a pool of blood at a distance of 50 feet from the road on Saturday. 

According to police, the victim, a resident of Modaga village, was a student of Government Degree College, Sri Nagar.

She appeared for her arts course IV semester Kannada examination on Friday, but did not return home. According to sources, she had informed her friends about visiting a relative’s house as she was getting married next month and subsequently had gone missing. The murder was discovered on Saturday after the owner of a nearby field found the body of the girl and informed police.

Police said the body was lying naked with the head smashed with stones. Her bag, footwear and college identity card were found beside the body. It appeared that victim was gang-raped. The assailants had also inflicted injuries on her face with sharp objects and the brutality indicated that it was the handiwork of multiple men. The name of the victim’s caste had also been etched on her body, at several places.

Superintendent of Police Sandeep Patil, who visited the district hospital mortuary, said it appeared to be case of sexual assault and murder. “The scribbling of a community name on the body parts of the victim would be taken up seriously,” he said.

Angered over the incident, students and villagers staged snap protests.