Engagement called off, Karnataka man kills minor, flees with severed head

A 16-year-old girl was bludgeoned to death and the accused fled with her severed head at Mutlu village in Somwarpet in Karnataka's Kodagu district. The victim and the accused, identified as Prakash (32), were supposed to get engaged.

However, the girl's engagement was stopped by officials of the Women and Child Development department on May 9. The officials convinced the girl's parents to call off the marriage.

On Thursday, Prakash barged into the girl's home at 5:30 pm, dragged her out and chopped her head off. He then fled with the girl's severed head and is absconding.

The girl recently passed the state board exams. She obtained 52% marks in the SSLC exams. Police have launched a hunt for the accused.

The victim's mother sustained injuries and is receiving treatment at a hospital. The motive behind the murder is yet to be determined, police said.

"The accused is absconding, we are looking for him. We have been told that child helpline officials from the Social Welfare department had stopped the engagement. We don't know the motive yet," a police officer said.