Bengaluru: Ragpicker Arrested for Kidnapping and Murdering Six-Year-Old Girl in Whitefield

In Bengaluru’s Whitefield, police arrested a ragpicker, Yousef alias Kabir, for kidnapping and murdering six-year-old Shahanaz Khatun, daughter of migrant labourers. The girl’s body was found roadside. Police are investigating motives.

In a swift operation, Whitefield police have arrested a ragpicker who kidnapped and brutally murdered his neighbour’s six-year-old daughter over a personal dispute. The accused, identified as Yousef alias Kabir, allegedly strangled the girl, wrapped her body in plastic, and dumped it on the roadside before fleeing. The victim, Shahanaz Khatun, was the daughter of migrant labourers from West Bengal. The incident has sent shockwaves through the local community, prompting widespread grief, outrage, and demands for strict action against the accused.

Neighbourly Dispute Led to Murder

Both the victim’s family and the accused had recently arrived in Bengaluru from West Bengal for labour work. They lived as neighbours in labour sheds in Nellurahalli, Whitefield, and earned their livelihood through rag-picking. According to police sources, minor quarrels between Yousef and the girl’s mother escalated over a few days, creating personal animosity that culminated in the horrific crime.

Girl Kidnapped While Playing

On Monday afternoon, Yousef allegedly kidnapped Shahanaz while she was playing near her house. He took her to a secluded spot, strangled her to death, wrapped her body in a plastic cover, and dumped it by the side of a temple road in Nellurahalli before fleeing the scene.

Parents’ Despair Over Missing Daughter

When Shahanaz did not return home by evening, her parents searched the surrounding areas in vain. They filed a missing person complaint at the Whitefield police station the following day. Police immediately began a local search and recovered the girl’s body on the roadside in Nellurahalli on Tuesday night. The discovery left the neighbourhood in grief and outrage.

Accused Arrested in Swift Operation

Following the incident, Whitefield subdivision ACP Reena Suvarna formed a special police team, including Inspector Guruprasad, to track down the accused. Acting on a tip-off that Yousef was attempting to flee the city, police conducted a swift operation and successfully arrested him.

Exact Motive to Be Revealed After Interrogation

Preliminary investigation suggests that a neighbourly dispute and personal enmity were the main motives behind the murder. Police have stated that the exact circumstances will become clear only after further interrogation of the accused. The tragic death of the six-year-old girl has sparked widespread public outrage, with calls for severe punishment for the perpetrator.