Daijiworld Media Network – Moodbidri (SP)

Moodbidri, Nov 20: The body of a four-year-old girl named Pranati was found drowned in a pond located about a kilometre away from her house, on Thursday November 18 evening. The incident occurred at Kotadka in Sampige village. The fact that the pond is located far away from the child’s home, and that the body bore scratch wounds, has given rise to doubts about the incident.

Pranati was the only child of Harish Shetty couple from Kotadka village. While Harish works in Mulky, his wife, Soni, works in a hospital in Kinnigoly. The child used to stay at the home of her grandmother in Sampige village, and attended anganwadi. On Thursday, she did not go to anganwadi, and remained at home.

Till evening, the child was seen playing at home. After she suddenly disappeared from home, the neighbours started searching for the child, and found her body in a pond about a kilometre away from her home. The pond is located in the property of a person named Narasimha Bhat. It is thought that the child would not have treaded this distance through the thickets, on her own.

Mulky circle inspector of police, Shivaprakash Naik, and assistant sub-inspector, Ramesh Kumar, visited the spot. A case has been registered, and investigation has been taken up.