The Shikaripur police on Tuesday took four persons into custody in connection with the death of a minor girl who had been missing for more than a year.

The arrested accused are Soubhagya, who runs a paying guest facility in Shikaripur; her husband, Ganga Naik; Ranjitha; and Peeryanaika. The accused allegedly disposed of the girl’s body in a suitcase at Mavinagundi near Siddapura in Uttara Kannada district. The police will take the accused to retrieve the victim’s mortal remains on Wednesday.

Shivamogga Superintendent of Police (SP) B. Nikhil told The Hindu it was an unusual case where the death of the girl came to light more than a year after she went missing.

“The girl, staying at a paying guest facility in Shikaripur, went missing on June 18, 2025. The case came to light recently after her father filed a complaint. During the investigation, we found that she was assaulted by the accused at the paying guest facility. She later ended her life. Instead of informing the police, the four accused disposed of her body,” the SP said.

The minor girl, who discontinued her education after class 8, had been living at a paying guest accommodation. Her father, a daily wage labourer with a history of alcohol addiction, was separated from her mother and had failed to inquire about his daughter’s whereabouts for the past year.

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